Brevan Howard Capital Management LP Decreases Stock Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Brevan Howard Capital Management LP cut its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 22.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 36,215 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 10,238 shares during the period. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $8,510,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LNG. Clough Capital Partners L P raised its stake in Cheniere Energy by 8.5% in the 3rd quarter. Clough Capital Partners L P now owns 47,230 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $11,098,000 after purchasing an additional 3,680 shares during the last quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 40.1% during the 3rd quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 180,809 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $42,487,000 after purchasing an additional 51,785 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 21.1% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 10,684 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,511,000 after purchasing an additional 1,859 shares during the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the third quarter worth $17,185,000. Finally, 1858 Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the third quarter valued at about $217,000. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of LNG opened at $252.44 on Friday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $186.20 and a 12-month high of $259.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.39 and a beta of 0.25. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $218.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $217.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74.

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

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

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

Cheniere Energy announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, February 26th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the energy company to buy up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LNG has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $282.00 to $271.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Cheniere Energy from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Wolfe Research set a $220.00 target price on Cheniere Energy and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $254.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $264.39.

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.