Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) Shares Acquired by Sciencast Management LP

Sciencast Management LP lifted its stake in shares of Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) by 72.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 25,505 shares of the shipping company’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,681 shares during the quarter. Sciencast Management LP’s holdings in Golar LNG were worth $1,079,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Golar LNG during the third quarter worth $32,000. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new stake in shares of Golar LNG during the fourth quarter worth $61,000. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich acquired a new stake in shares of Golar LNG during the fourth quarter worth $107,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Golar LNG by 116.8% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,975 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $126,000 after buying an additional 1,603 shares during the period. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Golar LNG during the fourth quarter worth $141,000. 92.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. DNB Markets downgraded shares of Golar LNG from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Golar LNG to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Golar LNG from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. Finally, Fearnley Fonds upgraded shares of Golar LNG from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.13.

Golar LNG Stock Performance

Shares of Golar LNG stock opened at $37.76 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $38.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.41. The company has a market cap of $3.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 269.73 and a beta of 0.78. Golar LNG Limited has a fifty-two week low of $23.45 and a fifty-two week high of $44.36.

Golar LNG Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.65%. Golar LNG’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 208.33%.

Golar LNG Company Profile

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.