Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) Short Interest Update

Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) was the target of a large growth in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,060,000 shares, a growth of 29.1% from the March 31st total of 2,370,000 shares. Currently, 3.1% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,190,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.6 days.

Golar LNG Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:GLNG opened at $24.95 on Tuesday. Golar LNG has a 52-week low of $19.62 and a 52-week high of $25.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -58.02 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 1.49. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $23.54 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $22.71.

Golar LNG (NASDAQ:GLNG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 29th. The shipping company reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.40. Golar LNG had a positive return on equity of 11.67% and a negative net margin of 15.68%. The firm had revenue of $78.65 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $76.85 million. Analysts expect that Golar LNG will post 1.66 EPS for the current year.

Golar LNG Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 12th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 11th. Golar LNG’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -232.55%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Golar LNG from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Golar LNG

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GLNG. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Golar LNG in the third quarter worth about $32,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in Golar LNG during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $117,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its holdings in shares of Golar LNG by 26,805.3% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 5,112 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $118,000 after acquiring an additional 5,093 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Trust Company N.A bought a new position in shares of Golar LNG during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $133,000. Finally, Aigen Investment Management LP bought a new position in Golar LNG during the third quarter valued at $201,000. 92.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.