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

Key Points

• Los Angeles Capital Management cut its Cheniere Energy stake by 9.2% in the fourth quarter, selling 24,557 shares and ending with 241,202 shares worth about $51.0 million.
• Insider selling was also notable: CFO Zach Davis and EVP Sean N. Markowitz both sold large blocks of stock in late March, reducing their personal holdings by roughly 25% each.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on LNG, with a consensus Buy rating and an average price target of $298.63, even after a few recent target changes and one downgrade.

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 9.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 241,202 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 24,557 shares during the quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.11% of Cheniere Energy worth $51,019,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in LNG. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $46,000. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This represents a 24.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 64,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,622,720. This represents a 25.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.55% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on LNG. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Weiss Ratings downgraded Cheniere Energy from a "buy (b)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Benchmark reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Two equities 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $298.63.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of LNG opened at $238.81 on Friday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $186.20 and a 52-week high of $300.89. The company has a market capitalization of $50.04 billion and a PE ratio of 39.28. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $256.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $230.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $4.25 by ($20.90). Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 38.95% and a net margin of 7.23%.The company had revenue of $5.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.69 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.57 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.93 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy declared that its Board of Directors has approved 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 repurchase up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

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

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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