Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Shares Sold by Huber Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Huber Capital Management cut its Cheniere Energy stake by 25.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 14,031 shares and leaving it with 41,423 shares valued at about $8.05 million.
• Insider selling also stood out, with EVP Sean N. Markowitz and CFO Zach Davis both reducing their positions in late March through sales totaling more than $15 million.
• Despite those sales, Wall Street remains bullish: analysts mostly rate the stock a Moderate Buy, and Cheniere recently authorized a $10 billion buyback while paying a quarterly dividend of $0.555 per share.

Huber Capital Management LLC lessened its position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 25.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 41,423 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 14,031 shares during the period. Cheniere Energy comprises 1.2% of Huber Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Huber Capital Management LLC's holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $8,052,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,219,557 shares of the energy company's stock worth $4,124,870,000 after acquiring an additional 414,022 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,174,695 shares of the energy company's stock worth $1,200,299,000 after acquiring an additional 167,622 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $731,774,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 12.5% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,279,078 shares of the energy company's stock worth $443,031,000 after acquiring an additional 253,469 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,263,826 shares of the energy company's stock worth $440,047,000 after acquiring an additional 134,695 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cheniere Energy

In other news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,622,720. This trade represents a 25.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the firm's 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 $26,143,800. This trade represents a 24.97% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.55% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on LNG shares. Benchmark reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $296.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $298.63.

Cheniere Energy Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock opened at $240.85 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $251.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of $231.21. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $186.20 and a 12-month high of $300.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55. The stock has a market cap of $50.47 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.61.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.25 by ($20.90). Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 38.95%. The company had revenue of $5.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.69 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.57 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy announced that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, February 26th that permits the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the energy company to buy up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

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

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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