Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Shares Purchased by Prudential PLC

Key Points

• Prudential PLC massively increased its stake in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter, boosting holdings by 2,313.7% to 98,285 shares valued at about $19.1 million.
• Wall Street remains mostly bullish on LNG, with multiple firms raising price targets and the stock carrying an average “Buy” rating and a consensus target price of $298.63.
• Cheniere reported a sharp earnings miss in its latest quarter, posting a loss of $16.65 per share versus expectations for a profit, even as revenue came in above estimates and rose 7.8% year over year.

Prudential PLC increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 2,313.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 98,285 shares of the energy company's stock after acquiring an additional 94,213 shares during the period. Prudential PLC's holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $19,106,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Cheniere Energy by 82.6% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 199 shares of the energy company's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on LNG. Scotiabank reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Bank of America lifted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $296.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $298.63.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $8,700,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This trade represents a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total value of $6,473,141.08. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,622,720. The trade was a 25.79% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Cheniere Energy Trading Up 2.2%

Cheniere Energy stock opened at $240.65 on Friday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $186.20 and a 12 month high of $300.89. 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 stock has a market cap of $50.43 billion and a P/E ratio of 39.58. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $257.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $230.13.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.25 by ($20.90). The company had revenue of $5.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.69 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 38.95% and a net margin of 7.23%.The company's revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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 given a dividend of $0.555 per share. 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 0.9%. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.51%.

Cheniere Energy announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, February 26th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the energy company to reacquire up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Key Headlines Impacting Cheniere Energy

Here are the key news stories impacting Cheniere Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Cheniere advanced the next phase of its Sabine Pass LNG expansion by awarding Bechtel the EPC contract, reinforcing its growth strategy and future export capacity. Bechtel picked for $4.69B Sabine Pass LNG expansion in Louisiana
• Positive Sentiment: Cheniere also awarded the EPC contract for the next phase of Sabine Pass expansion to Bechtel, another sign that management is moving ahead with a major capacity buildout. Cheniere awards EPC contract for next phase of Sabine Pass LNG expansion to Bechtel
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts raised earnings estimates for Cheniere, while JPMorgan lifted its price target to $327 and kept an overweight rating, which can support investor confidence in the stock. Benzinga report on JPMorgan price target increase
• Positive Sentiment: US Capital Advisors increased earnings forecasts across multiple future periods, reflecting expectations for stronger profitability and a favorable LNG export backdrop. Cheniere Energy (LNG) Moves To Scale Capacity Amid Favorable LNG Exports Backdrop
• Neutral Sentiment: The broader energy/LNG commentary highlighted Cheniere as a beneficiary of stronger global LNG demand, especially as Europe seeks more diverse energy supplies, but this is more thematic support than a company-specific development. See opportunities in European defense & U.S. LNG : RGA Investments

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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