Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Makes New $24.39 Million Investment in Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 576,413 shares of the shipping company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,394,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new stake in Golar LNG during the 4th quarter worth approximately $61,000. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich purchased a new position in Golar LNG in the 4th quarter valued at $107,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Golar LNG by 116.8% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,975 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $126,000 after purchasing an additional 1,603 shares during the last quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp acquired a new stake in Golar LNG during the 4th quarter worth $141,000. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Golar LNG by 906.4% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,462 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $147,000 after buying an additional 3,118 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.21% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Golar LNG to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Fearnley Fonds upgraded Golar LNG from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Dnb Nor Markets upgraded Golar LNG from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, DNB Markets upgraded Golar LNG from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $48.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $49.70.

Golar LNG Stock Performance

Shares of Golar LNG stock opened at $37.87 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $36.93 and a 200 day moving average of $38.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 270.52 and a beta of 0.62. Golar LNG Limited has a fifty-two week low of $25.33 and a fifty-two week high of $44.36.

Golar LNG Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 2.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 11th. Golar LNG’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.