Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Shares Purchased by Baird Financial Group Inc.

Key Points

• Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 4.2% during the first quarter, owning 88,818 shares valued at approximately $20.55 million.
• Cheniere Energy reported a strong quarterly earnings result, with an EPS of $7.30, surpassing estimates by $4.95, and a revenue increase of 42.8% year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share with a yield of 0.8%, reflecting a dividend payout ratio of 11.68%.

Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 4.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 88,818 shares of the energy company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,574 shares during the quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $20,552,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the first quarter worth about $294,793,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its stake in Cheniere Energy by 84.6% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 1,651,500 shares of the energy company's stock worth $354,858,000 after acquiring an additional 756,900 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in Cheniere Energy by 12.9% during the first quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,660,545 shares of the energy company's stock worth $1,078,450,000 after acquiring an additional 534,033 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Cheniere Energy by 346.6% during the first quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 568,627 shares of the energy company's stock worth $131,580,000 after acquiring an additional 441,296 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in Cheniere Energy by 12.7% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 3,185,605 shares of the energy company's stock worth $737,149,000 after acquiring an additional 359,435 shares during the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cheniere Energy Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of LNG opened at $241.64 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $53.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.11 and a beta of 0.43. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a one year low of $175.14 and a one year high of $257.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.98. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $235.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $230.29.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The energy company reported $7.30 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.35 by $4.95. The firm had revenue of $4.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 37.83% and a net margin of 21.05%.Cheniere Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 42.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.84 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 8th. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 11.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Cheniere Energy news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.93, for a total transaction of $1,057,499.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 29,733 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,312,236.69. This trade represents a 12.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on LNG shares. Mizuho upped their price target on Cheniere Energy from $268.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday. Bank of America upped their price target on Cheniere Energy from $258.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $288.00 target price on Cheniere Energy and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, Scotiabank reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $263.29.

Cheniere Energy Company Profile

Cheniere Energy, Inc, an energy infrastructure company, primarily engages in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) related businesses in the United States. It owns and operates the Sabine Pass LNG terminal in Cameron Parish, Louisiana; and the Corpus Christi LNG terminal near Corpus Christi, Texas. The company also owns Creole Trail pipeline, a 94-mile natural gas supply pipeline that interconnects the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal with several interstate and intrastate pipelines; and operates Corpus Christi pipeline, a 21.5-mile natural gas supply pipeline that interconnects the Corpus Christi LNG terminal with various interstate and intrastate natural gas pipelines.

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