Cheniere Energy Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:LNG)

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) saw some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Investors acquired 15,705 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 244% compared to the typical volume of 4,572 call options.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 26,965.4% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 102,611,534 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $24,525,183,000 after acquiring an additional 102,232,409 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter worth $731,774,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in Cheniere Energy in the 2nd quarter worth $502,015,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 210.1% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,444,403 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $584,237,000 after purchasing an additional 1,656,194 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 555.0% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 810,138 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $157,483,000 after purchasing an additional 686,459 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock traded up $0.76 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $294.89. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,027,199 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,366,616. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.97. Cheniere Energy has a 52-week low of $186.20 and a 52-week high of $300.89. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $262.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $254.50. The company has a market cap of $60.90 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.97.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The energy company reported $3.02 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.11 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $5.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.92 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 29.80% and a net margin of 13.57%.Cheniere Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $7.30 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy will post 16.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th were issued a $0.555 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is currently 16.53%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on LNG shares. Zacks Research lowered Cheniere Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Scotiabank reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Cheniere Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, July 25th. Finally, Argus set a $330.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $304.35.

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.