Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan Makes New Investment in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan opened a new position in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter, buying 6,395 shares worth about $1.24 million.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive on LNG, with analysts issuing a Buy consensus and an average price target of $293.50, even as some firms adjusted their targets higher or lower.
• Cheniere reported a big earnings miss for the latest quarter, posting EPS of -$16.65 versus expectations of $4.25, though revenue still rose 7.8% year over year to $5.87 billion. The company also announced a $10 billion share buyback and a quarterly dividend of $0.555 per share.

Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 6,395 shares of the energy company's stock, valued at approximately $1,243,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 140 shares of the energy company's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on LNG. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $296.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $338.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, UBS Group set a $290.00 target price on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $293.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $8,700,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This represents a 24.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total transaction of $6,473,141.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at $18,622,720. The trade was a 25.79% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

Cheniere Energy Trading Up 2.6%

NYSE:LNG opened at $248.06 on Tuesday. The firm's fifty day moving average is $264.00 and its 200-day moving average is $227.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.57. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $186.20 and a 52 week high of $300.89. The firm has a market cap of $51.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.80 and a beta of 0.07.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.25 by ($20.90). Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 38.95%. The firm had revenue of $5.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 15.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be paid a $0.555 dividend. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.51%.

Cheniere Energy declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, February 26th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the energy company to purchase up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are 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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