Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 3,140,000 shares, a growth of 33.1% from the November 15th total of 2,360,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,280,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.5 days. Currently, 3.4% of the company's shares are short sold.

Golar LNG Trading Down 0.3 %

GLNG traded down $0.11 during trading on Friday, hitting $43.48. 1,234,095 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,219,009. Golar LNG has a 1 year low of $19.94 and a 1 year high of $44.04. The firm has a market cap of $4.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 310.57 and a beta of 0.61. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $38.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $34.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.55.

Golar LNG Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. Golar LNG's payout ratio is 714.29%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its stake in shares of Golar LNG by 467.9% during the third quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 2,237,000 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $82,232,000 after purchasing an additional 1,843,100 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in Golar LNG by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,920,590 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $70,601,000 after acquiring an additional 94,336 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Golar LNG by 53.7% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,732,655 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $54,319,000 after acquiring an additional 605,499 shares during the period. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. raised its position in shares of Golar LNG by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 1,500,628 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $47,045,000 after acquiring an additional 63,180 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clearline Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Golar LNG in the 3rd quarter worth $36,865,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.21% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on GLNG. Fearnley Fonds downgraded Golar LNG from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Golar LNG to a "sell" rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $49.63.

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.