Golar LNG (NASDAQ:GLNG) Sets New 1-Year High After Analyst Upgrade

Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG)’s share price hit a new 52-week high on Monday after Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on the stock from $34.00 to $55.00. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a buy rating on the stock. Golar LNG traded as high as $30.40 and last traded at $30.15, with a volume of 301110 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $28.88.

GLNG has been the topic of several other reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Golar LNG from $28.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. BTIG Research boosted their price target on Golar LNG from $30.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Golar LNG from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $39.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Golar LNG

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Golar LNG during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $117,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in Golar LNG by 26,805.3% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 5,112 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $118,000 after purchasing an additional 5,093 shares during the period. Cetera Trust Company N.A bought a new position in Golar LNG during the 4th quarter worth $133,000. Aigen Investment Management LP acquired a new stake in Golar LNG in the third quarter worth $201,000. Finally, Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Golar LNG by 8.0% in the fourth quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,800 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $248,000 after buying an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. 92.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Golar LNG Trading Up 4.6 %

The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $26.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $23.89. The company has a market cap of $3.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.24 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49.

Golar LNG Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 10th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 10th. Golar LNG’s payout ratio is 95.24%.

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.