Sciencast Management LP Takes $2.59 Million Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Sciencast Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 12,050 shares of the energy company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,589,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 89.5% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 5,945 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,069,000 after purchasing an additional 2,808 shares in the last quarter. MAI Capital Management grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 1.5% during the third quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 4,204 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $756,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the period. Pathstone Holdings LLC increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 10.1% in the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 15,871 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $2,854,000 after buying an additional 1,460 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 76.4% during the 3rd quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 5,581 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,004,000 after acquiring an additional 2,417 shares during the period. Finally, Prospera Financial Services Inc boosted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 3,891 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $700,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE LNG opened at $227.24 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $50.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.97 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.07. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 1 year low of $152.88 and a 1 year high of $257.65. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $225.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $208.75.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.44 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 37.19% and a net margin of 20.71%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LNG has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $237.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Mizuho raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $248.00 to $254.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Argus began coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday. They set a “buy” rating and a $255.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $239.79.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director now directly owns 33,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,448,852.34. This trade represents a 20.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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.