Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership Has $112.27 Million Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• Arrowstreet Capital sharply increased its Cheniere Energy stake by 518.8% in the fourth quarter, ending with 577,533 shares valued at about $112.3 million.
• Cheniere Energy reported a major quarterly earnings miss, posting ($16.65) EPS versus the $4.25 estimate, even though revenue of $5.87 billion came in slightly above expectations.
• The company also announced a $10 billion share repurchase program and recently paid a quarterly dividend of $0.555 per share, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $298.63.

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 518.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 577,533 shares of the energy company's stock after purchasing an additional 484,198 shares during the quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership owned about 0.27% of Cheniere Energy worth $112,267,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LNG. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter worth $335,000. Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 13.3% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 8,825 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $2,149,000 after acquiring an additional 1,035 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 23.1% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 183,153 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $44,600,000 after acquiring an additional 34,422 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 103,040 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $25,092,000 after acquiring an additional 805 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 87.0% during the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 36,502 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $8,889,000 after acquiring an additional 16,977 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 2.6%

Cheniere Energy stock opened at $234.89 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $49.22 billion and a P/E ratio of 38.63. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 1-year low of $186.20 and a 1-year high of $300.89. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $250.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $231.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last released its 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 business had revenue of $5.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.69 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 38.95%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

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

Cheniere Energy announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Thursday, February 26th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the energy company to reacquire up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on LNG. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Citigroup boosted their price target 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. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $298.63.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Cheniere Energy news, 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 value of $8,700,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at $26,143,800. This trade represents a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 64,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,622,720. This represents a 25.79% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

About Cheniere Energy

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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