Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Shares Sold by Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Earnings miss: Cheniere reported Q results on May 6 with EPS of ($16.65) versus analysts' $4.25 consensus while revenue beat at $5.87 billion (est. $5.69B).
• Insider and institutional selling: Sequoia Financial trimmed its stake by 4.3% (sold 6,462 shares), while EVP Sean Markowitz sold 22,246 shares (~$6.47M) and CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares (~$8.7M), each cutting their holdings roughly 25%.
• Capital returns announced: The board approved a $10.0 billion buyback (up to ~21.1% of shares) and declared a $0.555 quarterly dividend ($2.22 annualized, ~0.8% yield).

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lowered its position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 4.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 144,715 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 6,462 shares during the quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC owned about 0.07% of Cheniere Energy worth $28,131,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the third quarter worth $27,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. raised its stake in Cheniere Energy by 250.0% during the third quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 140 shares of the energy company's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Accordant Advisory Group Inc bought a new position in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 3.0%

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock opened at $261.34 on Thursday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 1 year low of $186.20 and a 1 year high of $300.89. The company has a market cap of $54.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.75 and a beta of 0.07. 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 50-day moving average price of $263.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $226.53.

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 for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.25 by ($20.90). The business had revenue of $5.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.69 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 26.68% and a return on equity of 32.04%. As a group, analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 13.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be paid a $0.555 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio is 9.14%.

Cheniere Energy declared that its board has approved a stock buyback 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 repurchase up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LNG has been the topic of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings raised Cheniere Energy from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Wolfe Research set a $220.00 target price on shares of Cheniere Energy and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Bank of America raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $296.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently 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 firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total transaction of $6,473,141.08. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,622,720. This trade represents a 25.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $8,700,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,143,800. The trade was a 24.97% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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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