Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) Shares Acquired by Erste Asset Management GmbH

Erste Asset Management GmbH boosted its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 21.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 113,503 shares of the energy company’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,380 shares during the quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $24,388,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 170.5% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 119 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. WR Wealth Planners LLC lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 373.1% in the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 123 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Adirondack Trust Co. acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $46,000. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Cheniere Energy

In other news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.51, for a total value of $1,975,590.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 33,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,448,852.34. This represents a 20.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LNG opened at $215.39 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $225.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $207.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $152.88 and a 12-month high of $257.65. The company has a market cap of $48.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.14 and a beta of 0.94.

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

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on LNG shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $195.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $237.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Barclays increased their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $253.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $234.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $236.33.

Cheniere Energy Company 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.