Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Shares Sold by Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd

Key Points

• Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd cut its Cheniere Energy stake by 41.2% in the first quarter, though it still held 50,000 shares valued at about $14.2 million.
• Cheniere reported a steep earnings miss in its latest quarter, posting an EPS loss of $16.65 versus analysts’ expectations of $4.25, even as revenue came in slightly above estimates at $5.87 billion.
• Despite mixed results, analysts remain broadly positive: the stock has a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $297.71, while Cheniere also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.555 per share.

Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd lowered its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 41.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 50,000 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 35,000 shares during the period. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd's holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $14,231,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 45.7% during the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 189,524 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $53,779,000 after purchasing an additional 59,478 shares in the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 196.8% in the 1st quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 33,705 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $9,335,000 after buying an additional 22,350 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 13.9% in the 1st quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 8,716 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $2,473,000 after buying an additional 1,063 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Cheniere Energy by 41.8% during the 1st quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,312 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $372,000 after buying an additional 387 shares during the period. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy during the 1st quarter valued at about $228,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

NYSE:LNG opened at $241.71 on Friday. 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 business's 50-day moving average price is $243.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $232.99. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $186.20 and a 52-week high of $300.89. The firm has a market cap of $50.65 billion and a P/E ratio of 39.75.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last issued 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). Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 38.95%. The business had revenue of $5.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.69 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. Cheniere Energy's revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a $0.555 dividend. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. Cheniere Energy's payout ratio is presently 36.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on LNG. Zacks Research lowered shares of Cheniere Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $283.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $297.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 30th. The shares were 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 directly owned 87,146 shares of the company's stock, valued at $26,143,800. This 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 available at the SEC website. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Cheniere Energy

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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