Sit Investment Associates Inc. Has $13.33 Million Stock Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Sit Investment Associates Inc. reduced its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 12.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 62,044 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 9,199 shares during the period. Sit Investment Associates Inc.’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $13,331,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 10.3% during the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 460 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $99,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 2,339 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $503,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 3,346 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $719,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. American Money Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. American Money Management LLC now owns 10,987 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,361,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 7,043 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $1,513,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of LNG stock opened at $196.84 on Friday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $152.88 and a 12 month high of $257.65. The company has a market capitalization of $44.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.83 and a beta of 0.94. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $221.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $212.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41.

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

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on LNG shares. Scotiabank reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $253.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $237.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $248.00 to $254.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $239.79.

Insider Transactions at Cheniere Energy

In related news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.29% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.