Aberdeen Group plc Has $71.74 Million Holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group raised its stake in Cheniere by 14.6% to 369,030 shares, valued at about $71.74 million, as institutional investors now own roughly 87.3% of the company.
• Cheniere posted a strong quarter with record production and a large EPS beat ($10.68 vs. $3.90), announced substantial completion of Train 5, and the board authorized a $10 billion share buyback, while analysts have been raising price targets (Citigroup to $330) reflecting positive near‑term outlooks.
• Senior insiders have recently sold large blocks—EVP Sean Markowitz and CFO Zach Davis sold shares totaling about $15.2 million combined—reducing each of their holdings by roughly 25%, which could add short‑term selling pressure despite strong fundamentals.

Aberdeen Group plc lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 14.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 369,030 shares of the energy company's stock after purchasing an additional 47,007 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc owned 0.17% of Cheniere Energy worth $71,736,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new position in Cheniere Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 140 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 47.6% during the 3rd quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 155 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Cheniere Energy news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total transaction of $6,473,141.08. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,622,720. This represents a 25.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $8,700,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This represents a 24.97% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

Cheniere Energy News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Cheniere Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citi lifted its price target to $330 and kept a Buy rating, signaling notable Wall Street conviction that U.S. LNG exporters like Cheniere will benefit from Middle East supply disruptions. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Cheniere reported record production, a big EPS beat and strong distributable cash flow, supporting near-term profitability and capacity to fund expansion and buybacks. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Substantial completion announced for Train 5 at Corpus Christi Stage 3 increases export capacity and crystallizes expansion value for future cargo volumes. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Broader market tailwind: U.S. LNG exports hit record highs as Middle East disruptions push buyers toward U.S. supply, a structural demand boost for Cheniere as the largest U.S. exporter. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and “priced‑in” debate — some analyst notes and commentary say much of the Iran‑driven upside may already be reflected in LNG’s rally, limiting incremental upside absent further shocks. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro risk: analysts caution that persistently high LNG prices could eventually dampen demand or complicate contract/expansion dynamics, a longer‑term industry risk to monitor. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Operational setback: Sabine Pass is trimming output after an outage on one production unit — a near‑term hit to volumes and revenue that could temper upside while repairs are underway. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: recent large sales by EVP Sean Markowitz and CFO Zach Davis (SEC filings disclosed) may create short‑term selling pressure or raise investor questions about timing of personal liquidity events. Read More. Read More.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of LNG opened at $281.55 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $59.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.59 and a beta of 0.14. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $186.20 and a twelve month high of $300.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.94. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $242.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $221.93.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.90 by $6.78. The business had revenue of $5.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 26.68% and a return on equity of 32.04%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 22.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.33 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, February 26th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the energy company to repurchase up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th were given a dividend of $0.555 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Cheniere Energy's payout ratio is 9.14%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LNG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Barclays increased their price target on Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $266.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $287.24.

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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