Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Shares Sold by Pacer Advisors Inc.

Key Points

• Pacer Advisors Inc. cut its Cheniere Energy stake by 78.7% in the fourth quarter, selling 67,123 shares and leaving it with 18,149 shares worth about $3.53 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with Cheniere Energy carrying a Moderate Buy consensus rating and an average price target of $297.71. Recent updates included target increases from Jefferies and Bank of America, while Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage with a market perform rating.
• The company reported a quarterly earnings miss, posting -$16.65 EPS versus the expected $4.25, even though revenue came in above estimates at $5.87 billion. Cheniere also continues returning capital through a quarterly dividend and a $10 billion share repurchase program.

Pacer Advisors Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 78.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,149 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 67,123 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $3,528,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kera Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $242,000. Walser Wealth Management Company A Ltd Liability Co acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $370,000. Virtu Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 79.0% in the 4th quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 10,193 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $1,981,000 after buying an additional 4,498 shares during the period. McLaughlin Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $629,000. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 15.2% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 31,190 shares of the energy company's stock worth $5,850,000 after buying an additional 4,119 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $283.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Scotiabank reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $296.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $297.71.

Insider Transactions at Cheniere Energy

In related news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at $26,143,800. This trade represents a 24.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,622,720. This trade represents a 25.79% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Cheniere Energy Stock Up 1.9%

LNG stock opened at $235.25 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $49.30 billion and a P/E ratio of 38.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $186.20 and a twelve month high of $300.89. The company's 50 day moving average is $244.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $232.56.

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. Research analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Cheniere Energy declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Thursday, February 26th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the energy company to purchase up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

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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