17,476 Shares in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Purchased by Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV

Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 17,476 shares of the energy company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,959,000.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ameriflex Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 688 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $162,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Quest Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 6.1% during the third quarter. Quest Investment Management LLC now owns 875 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $206,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Aviso Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Aviso Wealth Management now owns 2,489 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $484,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Keel Point LLC lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 5.2% in the third quarter. Keel Point LLC now owns 1,111 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $261,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, Waterfront Wealth Inc. boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. now owns 1,486 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $311,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Cheniere Energy news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 64,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,622,720. This trade represents a 25.79% 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 Trading Up 0.1%

LNG opened at $227.25 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $246.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $232.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.57. The firm has a market cap of $47.62 billion and a PE ratio of 37.38. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $186.20 and a twelve month high of $300.89.

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

Cheniere Energy declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, February 26th that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the energy company to repurchase up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a dividend of $0.555 per share. 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 (DPR) is presently 36.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LNG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Cheniere Energy from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Zacks Research downgraded Cheniere Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Benchmark reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $297.71.

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.