Venture Global (NYSE:VG) Trading Up 8.7% – Time to Buy?

Venture Global, Inc. (NYSE:VG)’s share price rose 8.7% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $9.57 and last traded at $9.5340. Approximately 7,308,988 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 38% from the average daily volume of 11,777,328 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.77.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on VG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered Venture Global from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $10.00 to $11.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $17.50 price target on shares of Venture Global in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $11.00 price objective on shares of Venture Global in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on shares of Venture Global in a report on Monday, February 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $11.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Venture Global from $15.00 to $11.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $13.11.

Venture Global Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $23.44 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.28. The company’s 50 day moving average is $8.02 and its 200 day moving average is $9.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.46.

Venture Global Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th were given a $0.017 dividend. This represents a $0.07 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. Venture Global’s payout ratio is presently 7.69%.

Insider Activity at Venture Global

In other Venture Global news, insider Thomas Earl sold 1,000,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $6.89, for a total transaction of $6,890,000.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Fory Musser sold 42,901 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.80, for a total transaction of $334,627.80. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 86.73% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Venture Global by 8.8% during the 4th quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 14,336 shares of the company’s stock worth $98,000 after buying an additional 1,161 shares in the last quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec grew its position in Venture Global by 11.0% in the fourth quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec now owns 12,254 shares of the company’s stock valued at $84,000 after acquiring an additional 1,215 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its stake in Venture Global by 24.1% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 7,014 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 1,363 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its holdings in shares of Venture Global by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 93,615 shares of the company’s stock valued at $638,000 after purchasing an additional 1,407 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Venture Global by 14.3% during the 3rd quarter. American Financial Group Inc. now owns 12,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $170,000 after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares in the last quarter.

Venture Global Company Profile

Venture Global (NYSE: VG) is a Houston-based energy company that develops, constructs and operates large-scale liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities in the United States. The company focuses on converting domestically produced natural gas into LNG for shipment to international markets, positioning itself as a supplier of pipeline-quality gas in vessel-ready form for global customers.

Venture Global’s core activities include site development, engineering and construction of liquefaction and export terminals, commissioning and ongoing operations of those facilities, and commercial marketing of LNG under both long-term and short-term contracts.