Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Shares Acquired by Schroder Investment Management Group

Key Points

• Schroder Investment Management boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 20.1% to 215,531 shares (about $50.6M), and institutional investors now own roughly 87.3% of the company.
• Cheniere reported a major beat with quarterly EPS of $10.68 vs. $3.90 expected and revenue up 22.9% year‑over‑year at $5.45B, and its board authorized a $10 billion share buyback (up to 21.1% of shares).
• Analysts hold a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a mean price target of $264.89; the stock has a market cap of $51.6B, a PE of 10.11 and a quarterly dividend of $0.555 (≈0.9% yield).

Schroder Investment Management Group increased its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 20.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 215,531 shares of the energy company's stock after purchasing an additional 36,116 shares during the quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group owned 0.10% of Cheniere Energy worth $50,645,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Inceptionr LLC purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $728,000. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its position in Cheniere Energy by 18.1% during the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 6,993 shares of the energy company's stock worth $1,643,000 after buying an additional 1,072 shares during the last quarter. PFG Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 17.7% in the 3rd quarter. PFG Advisors now owns 8,122 shares of the energy company's stock worth $1,908,000 after acquiring an additional 1,220 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 380.7% in the 3rd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,620 shares of the energy company's stock worth $1,086,000 after acquiring an additional 3,659 shares during the period. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the third quarter valued at about $2,507,000. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on LNG. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $274.00 to $271.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $283.00 to $280.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 12th. Scotiabank increased their target price on Cheniere Energy from $266.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Cheniere Energy from $284.00 to $280.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $264.89.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Cheniere Energy stock opened at $245.56 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.62 billion, a PE ratio of 10.11 and a beta of 0.25. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $186.20 and a 52 week high of $259.24. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $215.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $216.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.90 by $6.78. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 26.68% and a return on equity of 32.04%. The company had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.48 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $4.33 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, February 26th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the energy company to buy up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th were issued a dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio is 9.14%.

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.

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.