Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Position Reduced by Bailard Inc.

Bailard Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 34.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,568 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 6,595 shares during the period. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $2,443,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Freedom Day Solutions LLC grew its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Freedom Day Solutions LLC now owns 11,881 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $2,310,000 after acquiring an additional 371 shares in the last quarter. AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs grew its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs now owns 30,615 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $5,951,000 after acquiring an additional 1,798 shares in the last quarter. Fortem Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Fortem Financial Group LLC now owns 7,854 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,527,000 after acquiring an additional 701 shares in the last quarter. 49 Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. 49 Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,759 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $536,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oxbow Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 99.1% during the 4th quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 50,096 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $9,738,000 after acquiring an additional 24,932 shares in the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cheniere Energy

In related news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the firm’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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This trade represents a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total transaction of $6,473,141.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,622,720. This trade represents a 25.79% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.55% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

LNG opened at $244.22 on Wednesday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a one year low of $186.20 and a one year high of $300.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $264.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $227.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.17 and a beta of 0.07.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The energy company reported ($16.65) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.25 by ($20.90). Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 38.95%. The company had revenue of $5.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.69 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. Cheniere Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.91 earnings per share 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 shares. This repurchase authorization allows the energy company to buy up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be given a dividend of $0.555 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on LNG. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $338.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $305.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, Wolfe Research set a $220.00 target price on shares of Cheniere Energy and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $296.50.

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.