TimesSquare Capital Management LLC Has $90.15 Million Holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

TimesSquare Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 5.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 463,761 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 26,545 shares during the period. Cheniere Energy comprises 1.4% of TimesSquare Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $90,151,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of LNG. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $335,000. Bank of Nova Scotia increased its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 13.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 8,825 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $2,149,000 after purchasing an additional 1,035 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 23.1% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 183,153 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $44,600,000 after purchasing an additional 34,422 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 103,040 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $25,092,000 after purchasing an additional 805 shares during the period. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 87.0% in the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 36,502 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $8,889,000 after purchasing an additional 16,977 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LNG has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 13th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $286.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $293.50.

Insider Activity at Cheniere Energy

In related news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $8,700,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,143,800. The trade was a 24.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the business’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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,622,720. The trade was a 25.79% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Trading Up 2.6%

Shares of NYSE LNG opened at $248.06 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $51.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.80 and a beta of 0.07. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $264.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $227.78. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $186.20 and a 52 week high of $300.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.57.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.25 by ($20.90). The firm had revenue of $5.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.69 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 38.95%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 15.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Cheniere Energy announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, February 26th that permits the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the energy company to buy up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Company 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.