ARS Investment Partners LLC Sells 11,777 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• ARS Investment Partners LLC cut its Cheniere Energy stake by 12.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 11,777 shares and leaving it with 83,381 shares worth about $16.2 million.
• Cheniere reported a major quarterly earnings miss, posting ($16.65) EPS versus expectations of $4.25, even though revenue of $5.87 billion came in above estimates and was up 7.8% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.555 per share and has an authorized $10 billion share buyback program, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Buy with an average target price of $293.50.

ARS Investment Partners LLC decreased its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 12.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 83,381 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 11,777 shares during the quarter. Cheniere Energy makes up 0.9% of ARS Investment Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. ARS Investment Partners LLC's holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $16,208,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of LNG. Viking Fund Management LLC raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 66.7% in the fourth quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 45,000 shares of the energy company's stock worth $8,748,000 after purchasing an additional 18,000 shares in the last quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 38.8% during the 4th quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC now owns 56,930 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $11,067,000 after buying an additional 15,927 shares in the last quarter. M&G PLC grew its position 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 buying an additional 184,520 shares during the period. Waverton Investment Management Ltd grew its position 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 buying an additional 51,326 shares during the period. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,460,762 shares of the energy company's stock worth $343,250,000 after acquiring an additional 163,861 shares in the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock opened at $241.77 on Friday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 1 year low of $186.20 and a 1 year high of $300.89. The firm's 50-day moving average is $264.03 and its 200 day moving average is $227.50. The stock has a market cap of $50.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.76 and a beta of 0.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $5.87 billion for 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.57 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 15.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th will be issued a $0.555 dividend. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 11th. Cheniere Energy's payout ratio is presently 36.51%.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on LNG shares. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from a "buy (b)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, UBS Group set a $290.00 price target on Cheniere Energy in a research note on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $293.50.

Insider Activity at Cheniere Energy

In other news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total value of $6,473,141.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at $18,622,720. The trade was 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 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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,143,800. The trade was a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

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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