Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) Shares Bought by Sterling Capital Management LLC

Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 256.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 22,936 shares of the energy company’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,493 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $4,928,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 10.3% in the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 460 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $99,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 2,339 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $503,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 3,346 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $719,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. American Money Management LLC grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. American Money Management LLC now owns 10,987 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,361,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in Cheniere Energy by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 7,043 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $1,513,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on LNG shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $234.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $277.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $195.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $248.00 to $254.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $239.79.

Insider Transactions at Cheniere Energy

In other news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.51, for a total transaction 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 $7,448,852.34. The trade was a 20.96 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:LNG opened at $220.23 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The firm has a market cap of $49.26 billion, a PE ratio of 15.48 and a beta of 0.67. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $219.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $213.47. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 1-year low of $152.88 and a 1-year 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 for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $1.59. The company had revenue of $4.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.44 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 37.19% and a net margin of 20.71%. On average, equities analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

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 dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.05%.

Cheniere Energy 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.