Short Interest in Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) Increases By 20.3%

Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,730,000 shares, a growth of 20.3% from the December 15th total of 3,100,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,230,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.0 days. Currently, 4.0% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Golar LNG Stock Performance

Golar LNG stock traded up $0.59 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $41.82. 1,401,539 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,111,455. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $40.59 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $36.83. Golar LNG has a twelve month low of $19.94 and a twelve month high of $44.36. The firm has a market cap of $4.37 billion, a PE ratio of 298.74 and a beta of 0.59.

Golar LNG Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.39%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. Golar LNG’s dividend payout ratio is presently 714.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Fearnley Fonds downgraded Golar LNG from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Golar LNG to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $50.13.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Golar LNG

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its holdings in shares of Golar LNG by 467.9% in the third quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 2,237,000 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $82,232,000 after acquiring an additional 1,843,100 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Golar LNG by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,920,590 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $70,601,000 after purchasing an additional 94,336 shares in the last quarter. Clearline Capital LP purchased a new stake in Golar LNG in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,865,000. Brookfield Corp ON increased its position in Golar LNG by 180.8% during the 3rd quarter. Brookfield Corp ON now owns 849,959 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $31,244,000 after purchasing an additional 547,253 shares during the period. Finally, Philadelphia Financial Management of San Francisco LLC raised its stake in shares of Golar LNG by 32.8% during the 3rd quarter. Philadelphia Financial Management of San Francisco LLC now owns 761,194 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $27,981,000 after buying an additional 187,924 shares in the last quarter. 92.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Golar LNG

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.