Sentry Investment Management LLC Sells 429 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Sentry Investment Management LLC lessened its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 17.0% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 2,097 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 429 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $367,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. MCF Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Lynx Investment Advisory bought a new position in Cheniere Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Cooksen Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 1st quarter worth $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LNG opened at $176.58 on Thursday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $152.31 and a fifty-two week high of $187.44. The stock has a market cap of $40.42 billion, a PE ratio of 8.60 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.63, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.02. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $180.08 and a 200-day moving average of $166.52.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The energy company reported $3.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by $2.13. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 39.42% and a net margin of 27.05%. The company had revenue of $3.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.61 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 19.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 9.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th were given a $0.435 dividend. This represents a $1.74 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.48%.

Cheniere Energy declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Monday, June 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $4.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the energy company to buy up to 9.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $178.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Cheniere Energy in a research report on Monday, June 24th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $194.00 to $199.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $208.00 to $204.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $214.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $196.00.

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.