Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) Shares Purchased by Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its holdings in Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG - Free Report) by 467.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,237,000 shares of the shipping company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,843,100 shares during the quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund owned about 2.14% of Golar LNG worth $82,232,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in Golar LNG by 53.7% during 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 last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Golar LNG by 74.4% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,015,644 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $24,436,000 after purchasing an additional 433,299 shares during the period. Driehaus Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Golar LNG during the second quarter worth approximately $10,554,000. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Golar LNG during the second quarter worth $5,805,000. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its position in Golar LNG by 115.3% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 305,992 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $9,593,000 after buying an additional 163,900 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.21% of the company's stock.

Golar LNG Price Performance

NASDAQ GLNG traded down $0.22 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $39.29. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,056,433 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,202,341. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.24. The company's 50-day moving average is $36.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.13. Golar LNG Limited has a fifty-two week low of $19.94 and a fifty-two week high of $41.54. The stock has a market cap of $4.10 billion, a PE ratio of 282.23 and a beta of 0.58.

Golar LNG Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 25th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.55%. Golar LNG's dividend payout ratio is currently 714.34%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Golar LNG from $55.00 to $53.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 16th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Golar LNG to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Fearnley Fonds cut Golar LNG from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Golar LNG from $43.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $49.63.

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.