Wedbush Securities Inc. Acquires 444 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Wedbush Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 10.2% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,805 shares of the energy company’s stock after acquiring an additional 444 shares during the quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc.’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $1,170,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. lifted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 134.1% in the second quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 103 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 473.7% in the second quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 109 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Hilltop National Bank purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the first quarter valued at $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on LNG shares. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $268.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 29th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Cheniere Energy in a report on Friday, September 19th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $268.00 target price for the company. Zacks Research downgraded Cheniere Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $268.73.

Insider Transactions at Cheniere Energy

In other Cheniere Energy news, Director W Benjamin Moreland acquired 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 4th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $208.22 per share, for a total transaction of $1,041,100.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 9,856 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,052,216.32. The trade was a 102.97% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock opened at $207.83 on Monday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $188.70 and a 12-month high of $257.65. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $227.67 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $232.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.13, a PEG ratio of 6.08 and a beta of 0.36.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The energy company reported $4.75 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.75 by $2.00. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 37.83% and a net margin of 21.05%.The company had revenue of $4.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.87 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.93 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 18th. Investors of record on Friday, November 7th will be issued a $0.555 dividend. This is a boost from Cheniere Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 7th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.37%.

Cheniere Energy Company Profile

Cheniere Energy, Inc, an energy infrastructure company, primarily engages in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) related businesses in the United States. It owns and operates the Sabine Pass LNG terminal in Cameron Parish, Louisiana; and the Corpus Christi LNG terminal near Corpus Christi, Texas. The company also owns Creole Trail pipeline, a 94-mile natural gas supply pipeline that interconnects the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal with several interstate and intrastate pipelines; and operates Corpus Christi pipeline, a 21.5-mile natural gas supply pipeline that interconnects the Corpus Christi LNG terminal with various interstate and intrastate natural gas pipelines.