Gouws Capital LLC Cuts Stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Gouws Capital LLC lessened its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 0.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 14,265 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 65 shares during the quarter. Cheniere Energy accounts for 2.1% of Gouws Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Gouws Capital LLC’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $3,065,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 170.5% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 119 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC increased its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 373.1% in the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 123 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Adirondack Trust Co. purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

LNG opened at $220.39 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. The company has a market cap of $49.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.49 and a beta of 0.98. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $224.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $205.82. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $152.31 and a 12-month high of $257.65.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $1.59. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 20.71% and a return on equity of 37.19%. The company had revenue of $4.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.44 billion. Research analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.91%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on LNG. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $234.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. StockNews.com upgraded Cheniere Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group increased their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $232.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $237.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $235.75.

Insider Transactions at Cheniere Energy

In other Cheniere Energy news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.51, for a total transaction of $1,975,590.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 33,934 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,448,852.34. The trade was a 20.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Company Profile

Cheniere Energy, Inc, an energy infrastructure company, primarily engages in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) related businesses in the United States. It owns and operates the Sabine Pass LNG terminal in Cameron Parish, Louisiana; and the Corpus Christi LNG terminal near Corpus Christi, Texas. The company also owns Creole Trail pipeline, a 94-mile natural gas supply pipeline that interconnects the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal with several interstate and intrastate pipelines; and operates Corpus Christi pipeline, a 21.5-mile natural gas supply pipeline that interconnects the Corpus Christi LNG terminal with various interstate and intrastate natural gas pipelines.