B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Sells 4,887 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• Insider selling: EVP Sean Markowitz and CFO Zach Davis sold 22,246 and 29,000 shares respectively in late March at average prices near $291 and $300, generating roughly $15.2 million in proceeds and cutting each of their positions by about 25%; company insiders now own 0.55% of shares.
• Strong results and major buyback: Cheniere reported Q4 EPS of $10.68 versus $3.90 expected, approved a $10.0 billion share buyback (up to 21.1% of outstanding shares), pays a $2.22 annual dividend (0.9% yield), and carries a MarketBeat consensus of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of ~$295.56.
• Institutional repositioning: B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG trimmed its stake by 12.7%, selling 4,887 shares and ending the quarter with 33,606 Cheniere shares valued at about $6.53 million, while institutional ownership stands at 87.26%.

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG decreased its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 12.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 33,606 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 4,887 shares during the quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG's holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $6,533,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new position in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $335,000. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 13.3% during the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 8,825 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $2,149,000 after purchasing an additional 1,035 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 23.1% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 183,153 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $44,600,000 after purchasing an additional 34,422 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 0.8% during the second 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 purchasing an additional 805 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 87.0% during the second quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 36,502 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $8,889,000 after purchasing an additional 16,977 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on LNG shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective 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 increased their price objective 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. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $295.56.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total value of $6,473,141.08. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,622,720. This trade represents a 25.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $8,700,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares of the company's stock, valued at $26,143,800. This trade represents a 24.97% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Cheniere Energy stock opened at $257.29 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $257.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $224.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.07 billion, a PE ratio of 10.59 and a beta of 0.14. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $186.20 and a 12-month high of $300.89.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.90 by $6.78. The firm had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 26.68% and a return on equity of 32.04%. The business's revenue was up 22.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.33 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.1 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th were issued a $0.555 dividend. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.14%.

Cheniere Energy declared that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, February 26th that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the energy company to reacquire up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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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