Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Shares Sold by Candriam S.C.A.

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. reduced its stake in Cheniere Energy by 11.5%, holding 22,425 shares valued at approximately $5.19 million after selling 2,905 shares in the first quarter.
• Cheniere Energy recently posted earnings of $7.30 per share, beating estimates by $4.95, with revenues of $4.64 billion, up 42.8% year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, representing an annualized yield of 0.8%, with a payout ratio of 11.68%.

Candriam S.C.A. lessened its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 11.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 22,425 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 2,905 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $5,189,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. REAP Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 150.0% in the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 125 shares of the energy company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Cooksen Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the first quarter worth about $38,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Tsfg LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 676.0% during the first quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 194 shares of the energy company's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on LNG shares. Jefferies Financial Group set a $288.00 target price on Cheniere Energy and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $267.00 to $284.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Wolfe Research downgraded Cheniere Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $258.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Cheniere Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $261.93.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of Cheniere Energy 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 29,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,312,236.69. This trade represents a 12.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of LNG stock opened at $240.4260 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $234.77 and a 200 day moving average of $229.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. The stock has a market cap of $52.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.04 and a beta of 0.43. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $175.14 and a twelve month high of $257.65.

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

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

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

About Cheniere Energy

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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