Martingale Asset Management L P Purchases 19,239 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Martingale Asset Management L P boosted its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 21.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 110,668 shares of the energy company’s stock after buying an additional 19,239 shares during the quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $21,513,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Milford Funds Ltd. bought a new position in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $11,407,000. Polymer Capital Management HK LTD bought a new position in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $213,000. Korea Investment CORP grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 12.0% during the fourth quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 225,595 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $43,853,000 after buying an additional 24,187 shares during the last quarter. Banco Santander S.A. grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 58,928 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $11,455,000 after buying an additional 1,304 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cohen & Steers Inc. grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 290,837 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $56,536,000 after buying an additional 17,561 shares during the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

NYSE LNG opened at $240.85 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.57. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $186.20 and a fifty-two week high of $300.89. The stock has a market cap of $50.47 billion and a PE ratio of 39.61. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $251.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $231.21.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.25 by ($20.90). Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 38.95% and a net margin of 7.23%.The business had revenue of $5.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.57 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.93 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 shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a $0.555 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is currently 36.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cheniere Energy

In related news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $18,622,720. The trade was a 25.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This represents a 24.97% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $298.63.

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.