Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Stock Position Lowered by BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp

Key Points

• British Columbia Investment Management Corp reduced its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 16%, selling 41,252 shares and owning 217,277 shares valued at approximately $50.2 million as of the latest reporting period.
• Cheniere Energy's quarterly earnings report exceeded expectations with a reported $7.30 EPS, significantly above the consensus estimate of $2.35, along with revenue of $4.64 billion.
• The stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" from analysts, with price targets ranging from $258 to $288.

BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp decreased its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 16.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 217,277 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 41,252 shares during the period. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp owned approximately 0.10% of Cheniere Energy worth $50,178,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of LNG. Altman Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Cheniere Energy by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Altman Advisors Inc. now owns 10,162 shares of the energy company's stock worth $2,348,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1.1% in the first quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 4,212 shares of the energy company's stock worth $975,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Hemington Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 14.0% in the first quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 390 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $90,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,007 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $233,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Finally, BIP Wealth LLC lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 1.4% during the 4th 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. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of LNG traded down $0.22 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $241.36. 1,657,881 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,097,265. The business's 50 day moving average price is $234.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $229.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.04 billion, a PE ratio of 14.09 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. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 1-year low of $175.14 and a 1-year high of $257.65.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The energy company reported $7.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $4.95. The firm had revenue of $4.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 21.05% and a return on equity of 37.83%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.84 EPS. Cheniere Energy's quarterly revenue was up 42.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on LNG shares. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $262.00 price objective (up previously from $253.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $288.00 price objective on Cheniere Energy and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Cheniere Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $261.93.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 transaction of $1,057,499.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 29,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,312,236.69. The trade was a 12.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

About Cheniere Energy

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.