Donald Smith & CO. Inc. Grows Stock Position in Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG)

Donald Smith & CO. Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) by 197.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,716,761 shares of the shipping company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,802,470 shares during the quarter. Golar LNG makes up 1.6% of Donald Smith & CO. Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. Donald Smith & CO. Inc.’s holdings in Golar LNG were worth $62,458,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Rubric Capital Management LP lifted its stake in Golar LNG by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 6,506,757 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $157,854,000 after buying an additional 50,000 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Golar LNG by 27.9% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,427,697 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $107,416,000 after acquiring an additional 965,932 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Golar LNG by 59.1% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 888,096 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $21,545,000 after acquiring an additional 330,059 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its position in Golar LNG by 349.0% during the 3rd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 808,265 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $19,609,000 after purchasing an additional 628,265 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hosking Partners LLP raised its stake in Golar LNG by 20.1% in the 3rd quarter. Hosking Partners LLP now owns 766,339 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $18,591,000 after purchasing an additional 128,416 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.21% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Golar LNG Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of Golar LNG stock traded down $0.15 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $24.95. 591,638 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,122,872. Golar LNG Limited has a 52-week low of $19.62 and a 52-week high of $25.90. The company has a fifty day moving average of $23.46 and a 200-day moving average of $22.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -58.37 and a beta of 0.61.

Golar LNG (NASDAQ:GLNG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 29th. The shipping company reported $0.90 earnings per share 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. Sell-side analysts forecast that Golar LNG Limited will post 1.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Golar LNG Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 12th were issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 11th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.01%. Golar LNG’s payout ratio is -232.55%.

About Golar LNG

Golar LNG Limited designs, owns, and operates marine infrastructure for the liquefaction of natural gas. The company operates through three segments: FLNG, Corporate and Other, and Shipping. It also engages in the regasification, storage, and offloading of liquefied natural gas (LNG); operation of floating liquefaction natural gas (FLNG) vessels; operation of the transportation of LNG carriers; and vessel management.