Banco Santander S.A. Buys 27,930 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Key Points

• Banco Santander S.A. increased its stake in Cheniere Energy by 200.8% during the first quarter, now owning a total of 41,842 shares valued at approximately $9.68 million.
• Cheniere Energy reported earnings of $1.57 per share, missing analysts' expectations, despite a revenue of $5.44 billion which surpassed forecasts.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, with an annualized yield of 0.8%, reflecting a low payout ratio of 14.63%.

Banco Santander S.A. raised its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 200.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 41,842 shares of the energy company's stock after purchasing an additional 27,930 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A.'s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $9,682,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of LNG. Altman Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 0.4% during the first quarter. Altman Advisors Inc. now owns 10,162 shares of the energy company's stock worth $2,348,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1.1% during the first quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 4,212 shares of the energy company's stock worth $975,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. BIP Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. BIP Wealth LLC now owns 3,545 shares of the energy company's stock worth $762,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 4.0% during the first quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,356 shares of the energy company's stock worth $314,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Glen Eagle Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Glen Eagle Advisors LLC now owns 1,488 shares of the energy company's stock worth $320,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Stock Up 1.1%

LNG opened at $238.39 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24. The stock has a market cap of $52.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.44 and a beta of 0.43. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $167.66 and a twelve month high of $257.65. The company's 50-day moving average price is $235.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $229.22.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The energy company reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.81 by ($1.24). The company had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.73 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 18.37% and a return on equity of 32.62%. The firm's revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.13 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 8th. Cheniere Energy's payout ratio is presently 14.63%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on LNG shares. Wells Fargo & Company set a $267.00 target price on shares of Cheniere Energy and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $258.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Raymond James Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $252.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $255.00 to $247.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $260.36.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Cheniere Energy news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.93, for a total value of $1,057,499.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 29,733 shares in the company, valued at $7,312,236.69. The trade was a 12.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LNG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.