Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) Stock Holdings Lifted by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) by 60.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 350,858 shares of the shipping company’s stock after purchasing an additional 131,887 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s holdings in Golar LNG were worth $14,848,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in Golar LNG during the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new position in shares of Golar LNG during the fourth quarter worth approximately $61,000. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich bought a new position in Golar LNG in the 4th quarter worth approximately $107,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Golar LNG by 116.8% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,975 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $126,000 after acquiring an additional 1,603 shares during the period. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp bought a new stake in Golar LNG during the 4th quarter valued at $141,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.21% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Golar LNG to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price 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. DNB Markets lowered shares of Golar LNG from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Fearnley Fonds upgraded shares of Golar LNG from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.13.

Golar LNG Trading Up 11.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ GLNG opened at $37.27 on Friday. Golar LNG Limited has a twelve month low of $24.21 and a twelve month high of $44.36. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $37.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $38.75. The company has a market capitalization of $3.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 266.23 and a beta of 0.47.

Golar LNG Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.68%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 11th. Golar LNG’s payout ratio is 208.33%.

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.