Sciencast Management LP Increases Holdings in Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG)

Sciencast Management LP boosted its position in shares of Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) by 72.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,505 shares of the shipping company’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,681 shares during the period. Sciencast Management LP’s holdings in Golar LNG were worth $1,079,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GLNG. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in Golar LNG during the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. USA Financial Formulas bought a new position in Golar LNG in the 4th quarter worth about $61,000. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich bought a new position in Golar LNG in the 4th quarter worth about $107,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Golar LNG by 116.8% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,975 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $126,000 after acquiring an additional 1,603 shares in the last quarter. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp bought a new position in Golar LNG in the 4th quarter worth about $141,000. 92.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Golar LNG Trading Down 1.4 %

NASDAQ GLNG opened at $37.76 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $38.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $38.41. Golar LNG Limited has a 12-month low of $23.45 and a 12-month high of $44.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 269.73 and a beta of 0.78.

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 issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 11th. Golar LNG’s dividend payout ratio is currently 208.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on GLNG. Fearnley Fonds upgraded shares of Golar LNG from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Golar LNG to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Golar LNG from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. Finally, DNB Markets downgraded shares of Golar LNG from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.13.

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.