Commerce Bank Has $18.03 Million Stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Commerce Bank raised its stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 6.5% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 111,779 shares of the energy company’s stock after buying an additional 6,811 shares during the period. Commerce Bank’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $18,028,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $308,910,000. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 13.9% during the first quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,384,125 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $223,232,000 after purchasing an additional 169,072 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,529,191 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $3,845,958,000 after purchasing an additional 151,311 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 60.5% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 349,951 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $57,748,000 after purchasing an additional 131,904 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $220,930,000. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

LNG traded down $1.02 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $174.96. The stock had a trading volume of 633,309 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,926,245. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.57 and a beta of 0.96. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 1 year low of $152.31 and a 1 year high of $183.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.98. The company’s fifty day moving average is $161.84.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last announced its earnings results on Friday, May 3rd. The energy company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by ($0.17). The business had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.97 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 28.55% and a return on equity of 48.19%. Cheniere Energy’s revenue was down 41.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.89 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 8.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.435 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 9th. This represents a $1.74 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.99%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on LNG shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Cheniere Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $204.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $214.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $178.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 17th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Cheniere Energy in a research note on Monday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $198.64.

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.