Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. Increases Stock Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 38.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 322,794 shares of the energy company’s stock after buying an additional 90,392 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P.’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $62,748,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Viking Fund Management LLC increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 66.7% in the 4th quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 45,000 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $8,748,000 after buying an additional 18,000 shares in the last quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 38.8% during the 4th quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC now owns 56,930 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $11,067,000 after acquiring an additional 15,927 shares during the period. Waverton Investment Management Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 35.3% during the 3rd quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd now owns 196,819 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $46,244,000 after acquiring an additional 51,326 shares during the last quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG boosted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 227.7% during the 4th quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 15,505 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $3,014,000 after acquiring an additional 10,774 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lewis Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 127.4% in the fourth quarter. Lewis Asset Management LLC now owns 8,751 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $1,701,000 after acquiring an additional 4,903 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LNG opened at $227.25 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. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $186.20 and a 12-month high of $300.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.62 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.38. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $246.21 and a 200 day moving average of $232.06.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.25 by ($20.90). The business had revenue of $5.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.69 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 38.95% and a net margin of 7.23%.The company’s revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.57 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a $0.555 dividend. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.51%.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LNG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday. They set a “market perform” rating and a $283.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 13th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Benchmark reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $297.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Cheniere Energy news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at $18,622,720. This represents a 25.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.