ARS Investment Partners LLC Reduces Stock Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

ARS Investment Partners LLC lessened its stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNGFree Report) by 12.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 83,381 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 11,777 shares during the period. Cheniere Energy makes up approximately 0.9% of ARS Investment Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest position. ARS Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $16,208,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $142,688,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,219,557 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $4,124,870,000 after acquiring an additional 414,022 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in Cheniere Energy by 6.7% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,007,073 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,411,542,000 after acquiring an additional 377,369 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Cheniere Energy by 21.5% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,025,609 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $475,633,000 after acquiring an additional 359,123 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 53.7% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 816,028 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $191,750,000 after acquiring an additional 285,062 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of LNG opened at $241.77 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $264.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $227.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $186.20 and a 52 week high of $300.89. The stock has a market cap of $50.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.76 and a beta of 0.07.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNGGet Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.25 by ($20.90). The company had revenue of $5.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.69 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 38.95%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 15.2 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.555 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is currently 36.51%.

Cheniere Energy announced that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, February 26th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the energy company to purchase up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Cheniere Energy from $286.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. TD Cowen increased 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 Monday, May 11th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Scotiabank reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Wednesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $293.50.

Read Our Latest Research Report on Cheniere Energy

Insider Activity at Cheniere Energy

In other Cheniere Energy news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total value of $6,473,141.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at $18,622,720. This represents a 25.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $8,700,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This trade represents a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Cheniere Energy Profile

(Free Report)

Cheniere Energy, Inc is a U.S.-based energy company that develops, owns and operates liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure and markets LNG to global customers. The company’s core activities include natural gas liquefaction, long‑term and short‑term LNG sales and marketing, and the associated midstream services required to move gas from production basins to international markets. Cheniere focuses on converting domestic natural gas into LNG for export, providing a bridge between North American supply and overseas demand.

Cheniere’s principal operating assets are large-scale LNG export terminals located on the U.S.

Further Reading

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LNG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNGFree Report).

Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG)

Receive News & Ratings for Cheniere Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Cheniere Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.