United Capital Management of KS Inc. Sells 6,374 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

United Capital Management of KS Inc. cut its stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 21.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 22,883 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 6,374 shares during the period. United Capital Management of KS Inc.’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $4,448,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of LNG. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $46,000. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cheniere Energy

In related news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total value of $6,473,141.08. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,622,720. This trade represents a 25.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 30th. The shares were 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 directly owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at $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. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock opened at $240.85 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55. The company has a market cap of $50.47 billion and a PE ratio of 39.61. The company has a 50 day moving average of $251.29 and a 200-day moving average of $231.21. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 1-year low of $186.20 and a 1-year high of $300.89.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.25 by ($20.90). Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 38.95%. The firm had revenue of $5.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.69 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, February 26th that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the energy company to reacquire up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a $0.555 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LNG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $298.63.

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.