Golar LNG Limited $GLNG Shares Acquired by Levin Capital Strategies L.P.

Levin Capital Strategies L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) by 16.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 519,088 shares of the shipping company’s stock after acquiring an additional 72,761 shares during the period. Golar LNG accounts for approximately 1.7% of Levin Capital Strategies L.P.’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Levin Capital Strategies L.P.’s holdings in Golar LNG were worth $19,315,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in GLNG. Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in shares of Golar LNG during the third quarter worth approximately $56,574,000. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. acquired a new stake in Golar LNG in the second quarter worth approximately $24,714,000. Appian Way Asset Management LP lifted its position in Golar LNG by 34.8% in the third quarter. Appian Way Asset Management LP now owns 1,633,582 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $66,013,000 after purchasing an additional 421,375 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its position in Golar LNG by 153.1% in the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 602,434 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $24,814,000 after purchasing an additional 364,421 shares during the period. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its position in Golar LNG by 35.4% in the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 1,065,635 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $43,062,000 after purchasing an additional 278,420 shares during the period. 92.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on GLNG shares. BTIG Research upped their target price on Golar LNG from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Zacks Research upgraded Golar LNG from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Golar LNG from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $56.00 target price on Golar LNG in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $51.13.

Golar LNG Stock Performance

GLNG opened at $53.93 on Thursday. Golar LNG Limited has a 1-year low of $35.02 and a 1-year high of $56.81. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $50.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $42.97. The company has a market capitalization of $5.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 84.27 and a beta of 0.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 2.55 and a quick ratio of 2.55.

Golar LNG (NASDAQ:GLNG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Saturday, February 14th. The shipping company reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter. Golar LNG had a return on equity of 6.24% and a net margin of 16.69%.The company had revenue of $132.81 million during the quarter. Research analysts predict that Golar LNG Limited will post 0.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Golar LNG Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. Golar LNG’s dividend payout ratio is 156.25%.

Golar LNG Company Profile

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.