J. Derek Lewis & Associates Inc. Makes New $673,000 Investment in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

J. Derek Lewis & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 3,464 shares of the energy company’s stock, valued at approximately $673,000.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of LNG. Ameriflex Group Inc. lifted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 688 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $162,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Quest Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Quest Investment Management LLC now owns 875 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $206,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Aviso Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Aviso Wealth Management now owns 2,489 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $484,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Keel Point LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Waterfront Wealth Inc. lifted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. now owns 1,486 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $311,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Cheniere Energy

In related news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This represents a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,622,720. This trade represents a 25.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LNG opened at $227.25 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $246.21 and its 200 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 company has a market capitalization of $47.62 billion and a P/E ratio of 37.38. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $186.20 and a fifty-two week high of $300.89.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.25 by ($20.90). The company 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.93 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a dividend of $0.555 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $286.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. UBS Group set a $290.00 price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued 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 given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $297.71.

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.