Affinity Investment Advisors LLC Invests $361,000 in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Key Points

• Affinity Investment Advisors LLC has invested approximately $361,000 in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG), acquiring 1,559 shares in the first quarter.
• The company reported a strong quarterly earnings result, with an EPS of $7.30, surpassing analysts' estimates of $2.35, and a revenue increase of 42.8% year-over-year.
• Cheniere Energy's board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, indicating a 0.9% yield and a payout ratio of 11.68%.

Affinity Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,559 shares of the energy company's stock, valued at approximately $361,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in LNG. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $335,000. Mariner LLC raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 12.8% in the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 40,879 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $8,783,000 after acquiring an additional 4,635 shares in the last quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 7.9% in the fourth quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 2,427 shares of the energy company's stock worth $521,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC lifted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 12.0% in the fourth quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 7,057 shares of the energy company's stock worth $1,516,000 after acquiring an additional 757 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $212,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 1.0%

LNG stock opened at $230.31 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $175.14 and a twelve month high of $257.65. The company's 50 day moving average is $234.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $228.88. The stock has a market cap of $50.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.44 and a beta of 0.43.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The energy company reported $7.30 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.35 by $4.95. The business had revenue of $4.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 21.05% and a return on equity of 37.83%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 42.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.84 EPS. Research analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 8th. Cheniere Energy's payout ratio is currently 11.68%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Cheniere Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $262.00 price target (up previously from $253.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $252.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $288.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $261.93.

Insider Transactions at Cheniere Energy

In other Cheniere Energy news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of the business's 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 directly owned 29,733 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,312,236.69. The trade was a 12.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

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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