Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Grows Stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 214,619 shares of the energy company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,029 shares during the period. Cheniere Energy accounts for 1.1% of Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $50,431,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 151,177 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $35,524,000 after buying an additional 1,975 shares during the last quarter. Consolidated Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,809,000. Leavell Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 0.5% in the third quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 20,154 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $4,736,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Vectors Research Management LLC increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1.5% during the third quarter. Vectors Research Management LLC now owns 13,022 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $3,060,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 49.6% during the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 193 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $262.00 to $259.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $283.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $284.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Scotiabank reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $266.00 price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Friday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $290.00 target price on Cheniere Energy in a report on Thursday, October 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $265.59.

Insider Activity at Cheniere Energy

In other Cheniere Energy news, Director W Benjamin Moreland acquired 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 4th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $208.22 per share, with a total value of $1,041,100.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 9,856 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,052,216.32. This trade represents a 102.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of LNG stock opened at $206.45 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The company has a market capitalization of $44.44 billion, a PE ratio of 11.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.64 and a beta of 0.26. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $200.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $220.22. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $186.20 and a 12 month high of $257.65.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The energy company reported $4.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.75 by $2.00. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 21.12% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The business had revenue of $4.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.87 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.93 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 7th were given a $0.555 dividend. This is an increase from Cheniere Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 7th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.37%.

Cheniere Energy Profile

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.