ArchPoint Investors Purchases 9,000 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• ArchPoint Investors increased its stake in Cheniere Energy by 39.2% in the fourth quarter, buying 9,000 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 31,950 shares worth about $6.2 million.
• Several other institutional investors also boosted their positions, and overall institutional ownership stands at 87.26% of the company’s stock.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on LNG, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $298.63; meanwhile, the company recently posted a quarterly earnings miss but also maintained a dividend and approved a $10 billion share buyback.

ArchPoint Investors lifted its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 39.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 31,950 shares of the energy company's stock after acquiring an additional 9,000 shares during the quarter. Cheniere Energy makes up approximately 1.5% of ArchPoint Investors' portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. ArchPoint Investors' holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $6,211,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Viking Fund Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 66.7% in the 4th quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 45,000 shares of the energy company's stock worth $8,748,000 after acquiring an additional 18,000 shares in the last quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 38.8% in the 4th quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC now owns 56,930 shares of the energy company's stock worth $11,067,000 after acquiring an additional 15,927 shares in the last quarter. M&G PLC grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 49.6% in the 3rd quarter. M&G PLC now owns 556,285 shares of the energy company's stock worth $130,727,000 after acquiring an additional 184,520 shares in the last quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 35.3% in the 3rd quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd now owns 196,819 shares of the energy company's stock worth $46,244,000 after acquiring an additional 51,326 shares in the last quarter. Finally, J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 227.7% in the 4th quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 15,505 shares of the energy company's stock worth $3,014,000 after acquiring an additional 10,774 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LNG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group set a $290.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 13th. Wolfe Research reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $296.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, 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 Monday, May 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $298.63.

Insider Activity

In other Cheniere Energy news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 $18,622,720. This represents a 25.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This trade represents a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.55% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LNG opened at $240.85 on Friday. The company's 50-day moving average is $251.29 and its 200 day moving average is $231.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.57. The company has a market capitalization of $50.47 billion and a P/E ratio of 39.61. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $186.20 and a fifty-two week high of $300.89.

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

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

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

Cheniere Energy announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan 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 plans are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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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