Fmr LLC Decreases Stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Fmr LLC lowered its stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 12.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 6,082,693 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 884,529 shares during the period. Fmr LLC’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $1,306,988,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LNG. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 26.8% in the 3rd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 14,800 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,662,000 after acquiring an additional 3,124 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2.3% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 267,885 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $48,185,000 after purchasing an additional 6,025 shares during the period. Weiss Asset Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the third quarter worth about $1,670,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $333,000. Finally, iA Global Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Cheniere Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $868,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LNG opened at $196.84 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $44.03 billion, a PE ratio of 13.83 and a beta of 0.67. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $221.78 and a 200-day moving average price of $212.44. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 1-year low of $152.88 and a 1-year high of $257.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.98.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $1.59. The business had revenue of $4.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.44 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 20.71% and a return on equity of 37.19%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.02%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 14.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $234.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Scotiabank reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $237.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Argus started coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $255.00 target price for the company. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $242.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $239.79.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.51, for a total transaction of $1,975,590.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 33,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,448,852.34. This trade represents a 20.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

About Cheniere Energy

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.