Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Shares Gap Down After Insider Selling

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) shares gapped down prior to trading on Monday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock had previously closed at $243.09, but opened at $236.48. Cheniere Energy shares last traded at $229.71, with a volume of 663,406 shares.

Specifically, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.93, for a total value of $1,057,499.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 29,733 shares in the company, valued at $7,312,236.69. This trade represents a 12.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LNG has been the topic of several research reports. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $248.00 to $254.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $255.00 to $247.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $252.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $254.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $252.23.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

The business's fifty day moving average price is $229.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $224.86. 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 stock has a market cap of $51.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.14 and a beta of 0.43.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The energy company reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.81 by ($1.24). Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 37.19% and a net margin of 20.71%. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.73 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. Cheniere Energy's payout ratio is 14.63%.

Institutional Trading of Cheniere Energy

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. WR Wealth Planners LLC boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 373.1% during 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 last quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 150.0% in the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 125 shares of the energy company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Cooksen Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the first quarter valued at $38,000. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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