Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Shares Sold by Cwm LLC

Key Points

• Cwm LLC cut its position in Cheniere by 69.1%, selling 14,060 shares and leaving 6,277 shares valued at about $1.22 million at quarter-end.
• Top insiders executed large sales: EVP Sean Markowitz sold 22,246 shares (~$6.47M) and CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares (~$8.7M), each reducing their ownership by roughly 25%, with insiders now holding 0.55% of the stock.
• Cheniere posted a significant earnings beat (EPS $10.68 vs. estimate $3.90), declared a quarterly dividend of $0.555 ($2.22 annualized) and authorized a $10 billion share buyback (up to 21.1% of shares).

Cwm LLC lessened its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 69.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,277 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 14,060 shares during the period. Cwm LLC's holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $1,220,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $335,000. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 13.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 8,825 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $2,149,000 after buying an additional 1,035 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 23.1% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 183,153 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $44,600,000 after buying an additional 34,422 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 103,040 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $25,092,000 after buying an additional 805 shares during the period. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 87.0% in the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 36,502 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $8,889,000 after buying an additional 16,977 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of LNG opened at $256.95 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The stock has a market cap of $54.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.57 and a beta of 0.14. The company has a 50-day moving average of $257.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $224.80. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $186.20 and a 12-month high of $300.89.

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

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th 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 of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. Cheniere Energy's payout ratio is 9.14%.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on LNG. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $305.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $295.56.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total value of $6,473,141.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

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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