13,300 Shares in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) Acquired by Alberta Investment Management Corp

Key Points

• Alberta Investment Management Corp acquired 13,300 shares of Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG), valued at approximately $3,078,000, during the 1st quarter, reflecting growing institutional interest in the company.
• Cheniere Energy recently reported earnings with an EPS of $1.57, missing the consensus estimate of $2.81, but achieving revenue of $5.44 billion, exceeding estimates of $4.73 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, with a payout ratio of 14.63%, indicating a consistent return to shareholders amidst its growth strategy.

Alberta Investment Management Corp bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 13,300 shares of the energy company's stock, valued at approximately $3,078,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in Cheniere Energy by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 5,681,846 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $1,220,858,000 after purchasing an additional 243,418 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Cheniere Energy by 12.9% in the 1st quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,660,545 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $1,078,450,000 after purchasing an additional 534,033 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in Cheniere Energy by 16.1% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,237,303 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $695,599,000 after purchasing an additional 450,031 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Cheniere Energy by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,184,891 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $469,448,000 after purchasing an additional 59,281 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc raised its position in Cheniere Energy by 6.5% in the 1st quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,962,006 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $454,008,000 after purchasing an additional 120,018 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock opened at $238.39 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $167.66 and a 12 month high of $257.65. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $235.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $229.22. The stock has a market cap of $52.87 billion, a PE ratio of 17.44 and a beta of 0.43.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The energy company reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.81 by ($1.24). Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 32.62% and a net margin of 18.37%. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.73 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.13 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 8th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Cheniere Energy's payout ratio is currently 14.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on LNG. Wells Fargo & Company set a $267.00 price objective on Cheniere Energy and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Scotiabank reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $258.00 to $271.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $260.36.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Cheniere Energy news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.93, for a total transaction of $1,057,499.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 29,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,312,236.69. The trade was a 12.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.26% 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.

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