Venture Global (NYSE:VG) Stock Price Down 4.2% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Venture Global, Inc. (NYSE:VG) were down 4.2% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $13.42 and last traded at $13.4260. 4,987,565 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 73% from the average daily volume of 18,306,354 shares. The stock had previously closed at $14.02.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on VG shares. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Venture Global in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $14.00 price objective for the company. Scotiabank upped their price target on Venture Global from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Mizuho increased their price target on Venture Global from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Venture Global from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Venture Global from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Venture Global currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $16.13.

Venture Global Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.44, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.19. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $14.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $13.29. The company has a market cap of $33.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.62, a PEG ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.26.

Venture Global (NYSE:VG) last issued its earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.01. Venture Global had a return on equity of 34.08% and a net margin of 21.24%.The business had revenue of $4.58 billion during the quarter. As a group, research analysts predict that Venture Global, Inc. will post 1.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Venture Global Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $0.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This is a positive change from Venture Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.02. This represents a $0.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Venture Global’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.60%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Brian Cothran sold 152,660 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.15, for a total value of $2,465,459.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Jimmy D. Staton sold 66,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.35, for a total transaction of $881,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 1,083,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,458,050. This trade represents a 5.74% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 2,382,442 shares of company stock valued at $33,642,249 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 84.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VG. Ancora Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Venture Global by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 27,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $301,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC grew its holdings in Venture Global by 8.8% during the 1st quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 12,429 shares of the company’s stock valued at $196,000 after buying an additional 1,004 shares during the last quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc increased its position in Venture Global by 67.5% during the first quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 4,480 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 1,805 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in Venture Global by 2.5% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 78,310 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,235,000 after buying an additional 1,893 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Venture Global in the second quarter worth $28,000.

Venture Global Company Profile

Venture Global, Inc is a liquefied natural gas (LNG) company that develops, constructs and operates LNG export facilities in the United States. The company sources natural gas from domestic markets, liquefies it at its coastal facilities and supplies LNG to customers in international markets.

Venture Global’s operating and development portfolio is concentrated along the U.S. Gulf Coast. Its Calcasieu Pass LNG facility in Louisiana has entered commercial operations, while its Plaquemines LNG project in Louisiana is being developed and brought into service.