Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Reduces Holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH decreased its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 11.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 169,935 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 22,313 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.08% of Cheniere Energy worth $32,973,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $427,000. Evergreen Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 78.2% during the fourth quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 20,388 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $3,963,000 after purchasing an additional 8,946 shares in the last quarter. Osborne Partners Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Osborne Partners Capital Management LLC now owns 73,440 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $14,276,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. PFG Advisors lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 19.9% during the fourth quarter. PFG Advisors now owns 9,741 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,894,000 after purchasing an additional 1,619 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 11.4% during the fourth quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,969 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $577,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cheniere Energy

In related news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $8,700,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,143,800. The trade was a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total transaction of $6,473,141.08. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at $18,622,720. This represents a 25.79% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $305.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $295.56.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

LNG stock opened at $257.29 on Friday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a one year low of $186.20 and a one year high of $300.89. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $257.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $224.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.94. The company has a market capitalization of $54.07 billion, a PE ratio of 10.59 and a beta of 0.14.

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

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

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 given a $0.555 dividend. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is currently 9.14%.

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.