Golar LNG Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NASDAQ:GLNG)

Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) saw unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Investors acquired 5,445 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 88% compared to the average daily volume of 2,903 call options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Golar LNG

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GLNG. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in Golar LNG by 431.3% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 185,018 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $6,802,000 after buying an additional 150,195 shares during the last quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP grew its position in shares of Golar LNG by 9.1% during the 3rd quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP now owns 249,390 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $9,169,000 after acquiring an additional 20,890 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its stake in shares of Golar LNG by 467.9% in the 3rd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 2,237,000 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $82,232,000 after purchasing an additional 1,843,100 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Golar LNG by 37.0% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 218,971 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $8,049,000 after purchasing an additional 59,188 shares during the period. Finally, Royce & Associates LP raised its holdings in Golar LNG by 102.5% in the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 81,000 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $2,978,000 after purchasing an additional 41,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.21% of the company’s stock.

Golar LNG Price Performance

GLNG stock opened at $38.30 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $4.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 273.59 and a beta of 0.78. Golar LNG has a 1 year low of $23.45 and a 1 year high of $44.36. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $38.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.33.

Golar LNG Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.61%. Golar LNG’s dividend payout ratio is currently 208.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on GLNG shares. DNB Markets downgraded Golar LNG from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. StockNews.com raised Golar LNG to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Golar LNG from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $50.13.

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.