Korea Investment CORP Reduces Holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Korea Investment CORP lowered its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 9.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 205,209 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 22,049 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP owned 0.09% of Cheniere Energy worth $44,093,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LNG. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 195.1% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,200,456 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $755,410,000 after buying an additional 2,776,920 shares during the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd grew its stake in Cheniere Energy by 1,400.7% during the 4th quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 1,509,717 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $324,393,000 after acquiring an additional 1,409,116 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 328.2% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 894,600 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $160,885,000 after acquiring an additional 685,662 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 61.2% in the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 1,664,439 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $357,638,000 after purchasing an additional 631,787 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $130,772,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 33,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,448,852.34. The trade was a 20.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock opened at $226.76 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.94 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The business has a 50-day moving average of $224.08 and a 200 day moving average of $210.14. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $152.88 and a 12 month high of $257.65.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.44 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on LNG. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $277.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Cheniere Energy from $195.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $253.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. StockNews.com raised shares of Cheniere Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Argus started coverage on Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $255.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $239.79.

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.