ProShare Advisors LLC Sells 1,866 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

ProShare Advisors LLC lessened its position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 10.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,747 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 1,866 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $3,598,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 5,681,846 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,220,858,000 after purchasing an additional 243,418 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 10.1% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,126,512 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $886,664,000 after buying an additional 379,142 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 16.1% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,237,303 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $695,599,000 after buying an additional 450,031 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $629,197,000. Finally, Amundi grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 19.9% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 2,696,002 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $606,907,000 after acquiring an additional 448,189 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 33,934 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,448,852.34. This trade represents a 20.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of LNG stock opened at $233.15 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.07. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $153.03 and a 52 week high of $257.65. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $226.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $222.28. The company has a market capitalization of $51.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.38 and a beta of 0.41.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The energy company reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by ($1.24). The company had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.73 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 37.19% and a net margin of 20.71%. The company’s revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.13 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on LNG shares. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $277.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $252.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Cheniere Energy from $255.00 to $247.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Mizuho raised their target price on Cheniere Energy from $248.00 to $254.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Wolfe Research cut Cheniere Energy from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $252.23.

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.