Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Holdings Lowered by J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG

Key Points

• J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG cut its Cheniere Energy stake by 64.3% in the first quarter, selling 9,965 shares and leaving it with 5,540 shares valued at about $1.57 million.
• Despite that sale, institutional ownership remains high: about 87.26% of Cheniere Energy stock is held by institutions, and several other funds recently increased or initiated positions.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on LNG, with a Moderate Buy consensus and average price target of $297.71; the stock recently opened at $265.05 and the company also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.555 per share.

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG reduced its stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 64.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,540 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 9,965 shares during the period. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG's holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $1,572,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new position in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $335,000. Bank of Nova Scotia increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 13.3% during the 2nd 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 period. Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 23.1% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 183,153 shares of the energy company's stock worth $44,600,000 after buying an additional 34,422 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 103,040 shares of the energy company's stock worth $25,092,000 after buying an additional 805 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 87.0% in the second quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 36,502 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $8,889,000 after buying an additional 16,977 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LNG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Benchmark reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Citigroup raised 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. The Goldman Sachs Group raised 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. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $297.71.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

LNG opened at $265.05 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $55.54 billion, a PE ratio of 43.59 and a beta of -0.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $241.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $238.40. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $186.20 and a fifty-two week high of $300.89.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a $0.555 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.51%.

Cheniere Energy Company Profile

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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