Golar LNG Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:GLNG)

Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) saw unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Investors bought 5,445 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 88% compared to the average daily volume of 2,903 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on GLNG. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Golar LNG from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. DNB Markets downgraded shares of Golar LNG from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Golar LNG to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Golar LNG has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $50.13.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Golar LNG

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Naria Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Golar LNG in the 4th quarter worth approximately $435,226,000. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Golar LNG by 49.2% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 4,638,045 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $196,282,000 after acquiring an additional 1,529,884 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its holdings in shares of Golar LNG by 467.9% during the third quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 2,237,000 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $82,232,000 after acquiring an additional 1,843,100 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Golar LNG by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,920,590 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $70,601,000 after purchasing an additional 94,336 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Encompass Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Golar LNG in the 4th quarter worth about $55,413,000. Institutional investors own 92.21% of the company’s stock.

Golar LNG Trading Up 3.0 %

Shares of GLNG stock opened at $38.30 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $38.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.33. The stock has a market cap of $4.00 billion, a PE ratio of 273.59 and a beta of 0.78. Golar LNG has a 12 month low of $23.45 and a 12 month high of $44.36.

Golar LNG Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.61%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 11th. Golar LNG’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 208.33%.

About Golar LNG

Golar LNG Limited designs, converts, owns, and operates marine infrastructure for the liquefaction of natural gas. The company operates through three segments: FLNG, Corporate and Other, and Shipping. It engages in the regasification, storage, and offloading of liquefied natural gas (LNG); operation of floating liquefaction natural gas (FLNG) vessels or projects; transportation of LNG carriers; and vessel management activities.