Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Shares Bought by Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking raised its Q4 stake in Cheniere by 18.3% to 1,013,496 shares, worth about $197.0 million, while institutional ownership stands near 87.26%.
• Cheniere's board authorized a $10 billion share buyback program, allowing repurchases of up to 21.1% of outstanding shares.
• The company reported a strong quarter with $10.68 EPS (vs. $3.90 expected) and 22.9% revenue growth year‑over‑year; analysts still rate the stock a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average target of about $295.56.

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp raised its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 18.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,013,496 shares of the energy company's stock after purchasing an additional 156,422 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp owned 0.47% of Cheniere Energy worth $197,013,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Childress Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,385 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $1,265,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. raised its stake in Cheniere Energy by 7.3% in the third quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 688 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $162,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,488 shares of the energy company's stock worth $350,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Quest Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. Quest Investment Management LLC now owns 875 shares of the energy company's stock worth $206,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GRIMES & Co WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. GRIMES & Co WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC now owns 2,275 shares of the energy company's stock worth $535,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Cheniere Energy from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $338.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $295.56.

Insider Activity at Cheniere Energy

In other Cheniere Energy news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 26th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at $18,622,720. The trade was a 25.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $8,700,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This trade represents a 24.97% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

Cheniere Energy Trading Up 0.9%

LNG opened at $259.47 on Tuesday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a one year low of $186.20 and a one year high of $300.89. The company has a market cap of $54.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.68 and a beta of 0.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.94. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $258.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $225.00.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.90 by $6.78. The business had revenue of $5.45 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 32.04% and a net margin of 26.68%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 22.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $4.33 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 13.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, February 26th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the energy company to buy 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 stock is undervalued.

Cheniere Energy 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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