58,680 Shares in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Acquired by Milford Funds Ltd.

Key Points

• Milford Funds Ltd. initiated a new position in Cheniere Energy, buying 58,680 shares worth about $11.4 million in the fourth quarter.
• Cheniere continues to attract broad institutional interest, with institutions and hedge funds owning 87.26% of the stock, while insiders recently sold shares, including CFO Zach Davis and EVP Sean N. Markowitz.
• Analysts remain generally positive on LNG, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $298.63; the company also has a $10 billion buyback program in place.

Milford Funds Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 58,680 shares of the energy company's stock, valued at approximately $11,407,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of LNG. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Cheniere Energy

In other news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $8,700,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This represents a 24.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total value of $6,473,141.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at $18,622,720. This trade represents a 25.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on LNG shares. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $296.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. UBS Group set a $290.00 price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $298.63.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Cheniere Energy stock opened at $240.85 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $50.47 billion and a P/E ratio of 39.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $251.29 and a 200-day moving average of $231.21. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $186.20 and a 52 week high of $300.89.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.25 by ($20.90). The business had revenue of $5.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.69 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 38.95%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, February 26th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the energy company to purchase up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio is 36.51%.

Cheniere Energy Profile

Cheniere Energy, Inc is a U.S.-based energy company that develops, owns and operates liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure and markets LNG to global customers. The company's core activities include natural gas liquefaction, long‑term and short‑term LNG sales and marketing, and the associated midstream services required to move gas from production basins to international markets. Cheniere focuses on converting domestic natural gas into LNG for export, providing a bridge between North American supply and overseas demand.

Cheniere's principal operating assets are large-scale LNG export terminals located on the U.S.

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