Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Acquires 474 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 44.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,539 shares of the energy company’s stock after buying an additional 474 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $328,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 170.5% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 119 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 373.1% in the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 123 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in Cheniere Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Adirondack Trust Co. acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, City Holding Co. bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $50,000. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of LNG opened at $220.39 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $224.70 and its 200 day moving average is $205.82. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $152.31 and a 12-month high of $257.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. The stock has a market cap of $49.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.49 and a beta of 0.98.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $1.59. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 20.71% and a return on equity of 37.19%. The firm had revenue of $4.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.44 billion. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Barclays raised their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $242.00 to $247.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $237.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $195.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $235.75.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.51, for a total value of $1,975,590.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 33,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,448,852.34. This represents a 20.96 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

About Cheniere Energy

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.