Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Shares Purchased by CenterBook Partners LP

CenterBook Partners LP increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 110.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,097 shares of the energy company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,085 shares during the quarter. CenterBook Partners LP’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $4,101,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of LNG. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $335,000. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,035 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 23.1% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 183,153 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $44,600,000 after acquiring an additional 34,422 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 0.8% in the second 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 acquiring an additional 805 shares during the period. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 87.0% in the second quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 36,502 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $8,889,000 after acquiring an additional 16,977 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cheniere Energy

In other news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,143,800. This represents a 24.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,622,720. The trade was a 25.79% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LNG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Scotiabank reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $286.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Zacks Research raised Cheniere Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $298.63.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of LNG opened at $236.61 on Tuesday. 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, Inc. has a one year low of $186.20 and a one year high of $300.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.58 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.92. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $255.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $230.46.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its 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 company 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 quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, February 26th that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the energy company to buy up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are 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. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 36.51%.

Cheniere Energy 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.