Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Stock Holdings Increased by American Century Companies Inc.

Key Points

• American Century Companies Inc. increased its stock holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. by 27.6%, acquiring an additional 282,050 shares during the first quarter and now owning 1,304,253 shares valued at approximately $301.8 million.
• Cheniere Energy's stock price was recently updated with various analysts adjusting their target prices, with Bank of America raising theirs from $258 to $271 and maintaining a "buy" rating.
• The company posted impressive financial results, with a $7.30 EPS which surpassed analysts' expectations by a large margin, alongside a 42.8% year-over-year increase in quarterly revenue.

American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 27.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,304,253 shares of the energy company's stock after buying an additional 282,050 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned about 0.59% of Cheniere Energy worth $301,804,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of LNG. Trivium Point Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 38.6% during the 1st quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC now owns 28,029 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $6,486,000 after buying an additional 7,808 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 2,441 shares of the energy company's stock worth $565,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 14.1% in the 1st quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 69,578 shares of the energy company's stock worth $16,100,000 after purchasing an additional 8,581 shares during the last quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. increased its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 98.2% in the first quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. now owns 4,872 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $1,127,000 after purchasing an additional 2,414 shares during the period. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $71,436,000. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on LNG. Bank of America raised their target price on Cheniere Energy from $258.00 to $271.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Wolfe Research lowered Cheniere Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $288.00 price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Two research 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 stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $261.93.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LNG traded up $0.16 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $230.30. The company had a trading volume of 1,355,697 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,053,004. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $234.64 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $228.92. The stock has a market cap of $50.61 billion, a PE ratio of 13.44 and a beta of 0.43. 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 1-year low of $175.14 and a 1-year high of $257.65.

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

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 18th. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Cheniere Energy's payout ratio is currently 11.68%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 29,733 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,312,236.69. This trade represents a 12.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Cheniere Energy 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.