Venture Global (NYSE:VG) Trading Down 4.2% Following Insider Selling

Venture Global, Inc. (NYSE:VG)’s stock price dropped 4.2% during mid-day trading on Monday following insider selling activity. 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 session volume of 18,306,354 shares. The stock had previously closed at $14.02.

Specifically, CFO Jonathan Thayer sold 111,111 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.40, for a total transaction of $1,599,998.40. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Zacks Research raised Venture Global from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Venture Global from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Venture Global from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, September 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Venture Global from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $16.00 to $17.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on Venture Global from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $16.13.

Venture Global Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $14.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $13.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.29 billion, a PE ratio of 10.17, a PEG ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.44, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

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

Venture Global Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 boost 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 payout ratio is 12.60%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Venture Global

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Ancora Advisors LLC lifted 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 valued at $301,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC lifted its holdings in Venture Global by 8.8% during the first quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 12,429 shares of the company’s stock valued at $196,000 after purchasing an additional 1,004 shares in the last quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc boosted its position in shares of Venture Global by 67.5% in the first quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 4,480 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 1,805 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in shares of Venture Global by 2.5% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 78,310 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,235,000 after purchasing an additional 1,893 shares during the period. Finally, LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Venture Global in the second quarter worth $28,000.

About Venture Global

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.