Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) Position Trimmed by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lowered its stake in shares of Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG - Free Report) by 17.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 59,555 shares of the shipping company's stock after selling 12,610 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.06% of Golar LNG worth $2,520,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Barclays PLC lifted its position in Golar LNG by 431.3% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 185,018 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $6,802,000 after buying an additional 150,195 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Golar LNG by 37.0% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 218,971 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $8,049,000 after acquiring an additional 59,188 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Golar LNG during the 4th quarter valued at about $310,000. Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC purchased a new position in shares of Golar LNG during the 4th quarter worth about $2,391,000. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Golar LNG in the fourth quarter worth approximately $465,000. 92.21% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on GLNG. DNB Markets lowered shares of Golar LNG from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Golar LNG from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Fearnley Fonds raised Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Golar LNG to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $50.13.

Golar LNG Trading Up 2.2 %

NASDAQ:GLNG traded up $0.81 on Friday, reaching $38.13. The stock had a trading volume of 1,021,039 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,372,797. Golar LNG Limited has a 12-month low of $24.42 and a 12-month high of $44.36. The company has a 50-day moving average of $36.76 and a 200 day moving average of $38.75. The stock has a market cap of $3.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 272.38 and a beta of 0.47.

Golar LNG Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 11th. Golar LNG's payout ratio is 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.