Cohen & Steers Inc. Buys 17,561 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Cohen & Steers Inc. raised its stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 6.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 290,837 shares of the energy company’s stock after buying an additional 17,561 shares during the period. Cohen & Steers Inc.’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $56,536,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $46,000. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock opened at $240.85 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $50.47 billion and a PE ratio of 39.61. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $186.20 and a 52 week high of $300.89. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $251.29 and a 200-day moving average price of $231.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55.

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). Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 38.95% and a net margin of 7.23%.The company had revenue of $5.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.69 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.57 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is currently 36.51%.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LNG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays upped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Benchmark restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Citigroup upped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Bank of America upped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $296.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Cheniere Energy from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $298.63.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Cheniere Energy news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $18,622,720. The trade was a 25.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $8,700,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at $26,143,800. This represents a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.