B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Sells 2,574 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG has reduced its stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 4.8%, selling 2,574 shares and now holding a total of 51,048 shares valued at approximately $11.81 million.
• Cheniere Energy reported a significant increase in earnings, with EPS of $7.30 for the quarter, outperforming estimates and achieving a revenue of $4.64 billion, reflecting a year-over-year growth of 42.8%.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50, resulting in an annualized yield of 0.8% with a payout ratio of 11.68%.

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG trimmed its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 4.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 51,048 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 2,574 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG's holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $11,813,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 27.6% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,304,253 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $301,804,000 after purchasing an additional 282,050 shares during the last quarter. Thompson Davis & CO. Inc. bought a new position in Cheniere Energy during the 1st quarter valued at about $529,000. Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 7.6% during the 1st quarter. Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP now owns 1,494,901 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $345,920,000 after purchasing an additional 105,875 shares during the last quarter. Fractal Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 27.7% during the 1st quarter. Fractal Investments LLC now owns 75,585 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $17,490,000 after purchasing an additional 16,385 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 23,505 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $5,439,000 after purchasing an additional 1,630 shares during the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:LNG opened at $241.50 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.10 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.98. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $234.99 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $229.42. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $175.14 and a 52-week high of $257.65.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The energy company reported $7.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 return on equity of 37.83% and a net margin of 21.05%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 42.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.84 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 8th. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.68%.

Insider Transactions at Cheniere Energy

In other news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.93, for a total value of $1,057,499.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 29,733 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,312,236.69. This trade represents a 12.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LNG has been the subject of several analyst reports. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $262.00 price target (up from $253.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Friday, August 8th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $288.00 price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $267.00 to $284.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $261.93.

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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