Merit Financial Group LLC Has $1.15 Million Stock Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Merit Financial Group LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 42.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,902 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 4,395 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $1,147,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its stake in Cheniere Energy by 250.0% in the third quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 140 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on LNG shares. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $286.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Scotiabank raised their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Wolfe Research set a $220.00 price objective on Cheniere Energy and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $295.56.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $8,700,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This trade represents a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total value of $6,473,141.08. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at $18,622,720. This trade represents a 25.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:LNG opened at $257.29 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $54.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.59 and a beta of 0.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $186.20 and a 12-month high of $300.89. The business’s 50 day moving average is $257.19 and its 200 day moving average is $224.78.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.90 by $6.78. The business had revenue of $5.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 32.04% and a net margin of 26.68%.Cheniere Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $4.33 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 6th were issued a dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.14%.

Cheniere Energy announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Thursday, February 26th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the energy company to repurchase up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.