Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Position Reduced by Alps Advisors Inc.

Key Points

• Alps Advisors cut its Cheniere Energy stake by 3.4% in the third quarter, selling 4,961 shares; it retained 139,643 shares valued at about $37.6 million. Institutional investors collectively own 87.26% of the stock.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive: MarketBeat reports a consensus Buy rating and an average price target of $324.41. Zacks Research upgraded the stock to Strong Buy.
• Cheniere raised its quarterly dividend from $0.555 to $0.625 per share, an annualized $2.50 and a 0.9% yield. In its latest reported quarter, revenue grew 23.5% year over year but EPS missed analyst estimates.

Alps Advisors Inc. reduced its stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 3.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 139,643 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 4,961 shares during the quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. owned about 0.07% of Cheniere Energy worth $37,568,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. First Horizon Corp raised its position in Cheniere Energy by 7.7% during the 1st quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 517 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $147,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Cheniere Energy by 0.7% during the third quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,371 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $1,445,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 13.3% during the third quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 340 shares of the energy company's stock worth $92,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Strategies LLC increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 4.0% during the third quarter. Eagle Strategies LLC now owns 1,083 shares of the energy company's stock worth $291,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Titleist Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1.6% in the third quarter. Titleist Asset Management LLC now owns 2,867 shares of the energy company's stock worth $771,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on LNG shares. Zacks Research raised Cheniere Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $336.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Saturday, October 10th. Argus set a $330.00 target price on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Wall Street Zen raised Cheniere Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 25th. Finally, Bank of America reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Friday, October 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $324.41.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

NYSE LNG opened at $278.00 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 1 year low of $186.20 and a 1 year high of $330.73. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $283.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $258.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.83, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.01.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The energy company reported $3.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.11 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $5.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.92 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 13.08% and a return on equity of 26.73%. The company's revenue was up 23.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $7.30 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 21.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 9th will be paid a $0.6250 dividend. This represents a $2.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. This is a boost from Cheniere Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.5550. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 9th. Cheniere Energy's payout ratio is currently 15.49%.

Cheniere Energy Profile

Cheniere Energy, Inc is a U.S. energy company focused on producing and exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG). Its operations include the Sabine Pass LNG facility in Louisiana and the Corpus Christi LNG facility in Texas, where natural gas is processed and liquefied for shipment.

The company supplies LNG to customers in international markets, including countries in Asia, Europe and Latin America. Its activities also include sourcing natural gas and marketing LNG under long-term and other sales agreements.

Founded in 1996, Cheniere initially developed LNG import infrastructure before shifting its focus to U.S.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.