Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Shares Sold by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. lessened its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 18.4% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 772,063 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 173,582 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $181,419,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of LNG. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 0.6% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,687,388 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,141,473,000 after purchasing an additional 26,843 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $957,425,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,874,796 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $940,578,000 after buying an additional 70,475 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 21.5% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,025,609 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $475,633,000 after buying an additional 359,123 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 1,845,285 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $449,364,000 after buying an additional 8,740 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LNG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $266.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley set a $236.00 price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $274.00 to $271.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $264.89.

Cheniere Energy News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Cheniere Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Huge Q4 earnings beat and valuation focus after management expanded buyback capacity — the earnings surprise and expanded repurchase authorization are primary drivers behind the rally as they materially increase capital return expectations for shareholders. Cheniere Energy (LNG) Valuation Check After Q4 2025 Earnings Beat And Expanded Share Buyback
• Positive Sentiment: Board approved a roughly US$10.2 billion buyback authorization — among the largest in the sector, signaling strong confidence from management and directly supporting the share price through potential buybacks. Cheniere’s US$10.2b Buyback Puts Cash Flows And Debt In Focus
• Positive Sentiment: Sector-wide LNG bullishness as Qatar outage and supply tightness lift global gas prices — quant screens and analyst notes are spotlighting LNG names (including Cheniere) as beneficiaries of higher seaborne gas values. Quant ratings highlight LNG stocks as Qatar shutdown sparks global gas price surge
• Positive Sentiment: Broader energy rally and geopolitical risk (Strait of Hormuz tensions, IEA release) lifted oil and energy stocks, providing a favorable tailwind for Cheniere’s shares. Energy Stocks Like Occidental Have Lagged Oil Price Hikes. Why They’re Catching Up.
• Neutral Sentiment: Completed a private offering of ~US$1.75B in long‑dated senior notes (2036/2056) — proceeds go to refinancing, capex and general purposes; helps liquidity but increases leverage and deserves investor scrutiny. Is Cheniere’s New Long‑Dated Debt Issue Quietly Redefining LNG’s Capital Allocation Playbook?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyses and retrospectives highlight strong long‑term returns for Cheniere investors — useful context for long‑term holders but less of an immediate price catalyst. $100 Invested In Cheniere Energy 20 Years Ago Would Be Worth This Much Today
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector filing note: an investor sold a large Golar LNG position — sector flow data can create noise but this sale is specific to Golar, not Cheniere. This LNG Stock Is Up 32% in a Year, so Why Did One Investor Sell Off a $14 Million Position?
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually large put‑option activity — traders bought ~16,352 put contracts (≈+266% vs. normal), which could signal increased hedging or bearish bets and adds short‑term downside risk if selling pressure follows.

Cheniere Energy Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of LNG stock opened at $253.76 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $217.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $217.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.44 and a beta of 0.25. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $186.20 and a fifty-two week high of $259.24.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.90 by $6.78. The business had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 26.68% and a return on equity of 32.04%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.33 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 6th were paid a dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 9.14%.

Cheniere Energy declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, February 26th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the energy company to purchase up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

About Cheniere Energy

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.