Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Shares Purchased by Intech Investment Management LLC

Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 481.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 163,011 shares of the energy company’s stock after acquiring an additional 134,960 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $31,688,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LNG. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $335,000. Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 13.3% during the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 8,825 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,149,000 after buying an additional 1,035 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 23.1% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 183,153 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $44,600,000 after buying an additional 34,422 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 0.8% during the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 103,040 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $25,092,000 after buying an additional 805 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 87.0% during the second quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 36,502 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $8,889,000 after buying an additional 16,977 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE LNG opened at $229.83 on Friday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $186.20 and a 12-month high of $300.89. The company has a market capitalization of $48.16 billion, a PE ratio of 37.80 and a beta of 0.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $261.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $229.44.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.25 by ($20.90). The business had revenue of $5.87 billion during 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 revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 15.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a dividend of $0.555 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.51%.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on LNG shares. BMO Capital Markets boosted 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. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $293.50.

Insider Activity at Cheniere Energy

In related news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $8,700,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This represents a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction of $6,473,141.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at $18,622,720. The trade was a 25.79% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

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.