Atika Capital Management LLC Invests $8.40 Million in Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG)

Atika Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 198,500 shares of the shipping company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,401,000. Atika Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.19% of Golar LNG as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Golar LNG Stock Performance

NASDAQ GLNG opened at $30.70 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $38.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 219.30 and a beta of 0.47. Golar LNG Limited has a fifty-two week low of $24.21 and a fifty-two week high of $44.36.

Golar LNG Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.26%. Golar LNG’s payout ratio is 208.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Golar LNG Company Profile

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.