Golar LNG Limited $GLNG Shares Sold by Donald Smith & CO. Inc.

Donald Smith & CO. Inc. cut its stake in shares of Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) by 6.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,151,627 shares of the shipping company’s stock after selling 144,624 shares during the period. Donald Smith & CO. Inc.’s holdings in Golar LNG were worth $80,062,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. King Luther Capital Management Corp acquired a new stake in Golar LNG during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,179,000. Huber Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Golar LNG by 12.4% during the 3rd quarter. Huber Capital Management LLC now owns 923,718 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $37,327,000 after purchasing an additional 102,200 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in Golar LNG during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $56,574,000. Cinctive Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Golar LNG during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $4,658,000. Finally, Militia Capital Partners LP acquired a new stake in Golar LNG during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,754,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.21% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on GLNG. Weiss Ratings upgraded Golar LNG from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Pareto Securities downgraded Golar LNG from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Wall Street Zen raised Golar LNG from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $65.00 target price on shares of Golar LNG in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $67.00 target price on shares of Golar LNG in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $56.70.

Golar LNG Trading Up 0.2%

NASDAQ:GLNG opened at $50.83 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.57, a current ratio of 2.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The business’s 50 day moving average is $53.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.88. Golar LNG Limited has a 52 week low of $35.02 and a 52 week high of $57.79. The company has a market cap of $5.15 billion, a PE ratio of 36.83 and a beta of 0.02.

Golar LNG (NASDAQ:GLNG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, March 26th. The shipping company reported $0.82 EPS for the quarter. Golar LNG had a return on equity of 6.86% and a net margin of 30.10%.The company had revenue of $137.55 million for the quarter. On average, analysts predict that Golar LNG Limited will post 0.72 EPS for the current year.

Golar LNG Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 1st. Golar LNG’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 72.46%.

About Golar LNG

Golar LNG Ltd. is a leading owner and operator of liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers and floating infrastructure. The company specializes in the transportation of LNG on long-term and spot charters for major energy firms around the world. In addition to shipping, Golar LNG has broadened its services to include project development and the conversion of existing carriers into Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) and Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) vessels.

Since pioneering the first purpose-built FLNG conversion project, Golar LNG has been at the forefront of offshore gas monetization.