BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Has $1.14 Million Stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• BI Asset Management cut its stake in Cheniere Energy by 87.8% in the first quarter, leaving it with 3,999 shares worth about $1.14 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains mostly positive, with Cheniere holding a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $297.71, despite one downgrade from Weiss Ratings to Hold.
• The company reported a big earnings miss for the latest quarter, though revenue came in above estimates; Cheniere also maintains a quarterly dividend and has an approved $10 billion share buyback program.

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S decreased its stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 87.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,999 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 28,795 shares during the period. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S's holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $1,135,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Viking Fund Management LLC grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 66.7% during the fourth quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 45,000 shares of the energy company's stock worth $8,748,000 after buying an additional 18,000 shares in the last quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 38.8% during the fourth quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC now owns 56,930 shares of the energy company's stock worth $11,067,000 after purchasing an additional 15,927 shares in the last quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 35.3% in the third quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd now owns 196,819 shares of the energy company's stock worth $46,244,000 after purchasing an additional 51,326 shares during the last quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 227.7% in the fourth quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 15,505 shares of the energy company's stock worth $3,014,000 after purchasing an additional 10,774 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lewis Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Cheniere Energy by 127.4% in the fourth quarter. Lewis Asset Management LLC now owns 8,751 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $1,701,000 after purchasing an additional 4,903 shares in the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Cheniere Energy from a "buy (b)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Barclays increased their target price on Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $286.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. UBS Group set a $290.00 target price on Cheniere Energy in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Benchmark restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $297.71.

Cheniere Energy Trading Down 1.2%

Cheniere Energy stock opened at $231.31 on Thursday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a one year low of $186.20 and a one year high of $300.89. The business's fifty day moving average is $244.32 and its 200 day moving average is $232.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.47 billion and a PE ratio of 38.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.48.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.25 by ($20.90). Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 38.95%. The company had revenue of $5.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.69 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.57 EPS. Cheniere Energy's revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.93 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.51%.

Cheniere Energy announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, February 26th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the energy company to repurchase up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, March 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $8,700,000.00. Following the transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 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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