Altshuler Shaham Ltd Sells 4,976 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Altshuler Shaham Ltd trimmed its position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 31.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,882 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 4,976 shares during the quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $2,115,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the third quarter worth $27,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:LNG opened at $231.67 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $248.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $231.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.48. 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 $48.55 billion and a PE ratio of 38.10.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) 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 business had revenue of $5.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.69 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were given 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 yield of 1.0%. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is 36.51%.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. UBS Group set a $290.00 price objective on Cheniere Energy in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Scotiabank reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $297.71.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 26th. The shares were 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 approximately $18,622,720. This represents a 25.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,143,800. The trade was a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

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.