Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Stake Boosted by ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd

Key Points

• ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd increased its Cheniere Energy stake by 39.1% in the fourth quarter, ending with 372,196 shares worth about $72.4 million.
• Company insiders recently sold stock, including EVP Sean N. Markowitz and CFO Zach Davis, while 87.26% of shares remain institutionally owned.
• Cheniere reported a quarterly EPS miss but beat revenue estimates, and the company also announced a $10 billion share buyback plus a quarterly dividend of $0.555 per share.

ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 39.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 372,196 shares of the energy company's stock after purchasing an additional 104,654 shares during the quarter. Cheniere Energy makes up 1.5% of ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd owned about 0.17% of Cheniere Energy worth $72,357,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in LNG. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in Cheniere Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc bought a new position in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 250.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 140 shares of the energy company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Cheniere Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cheniere Energy

In other Cheniere Energy news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total transaction of $6,473,141.08. Following the sale, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 30th. The shares were 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 directly owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,143,800. The trade was a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on LNG shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Zacks Research raised Cheniere Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Barclays increased their price target on Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Cheniere Energy from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $293.50.

Cheniere Energy Stock Up 0.3%

NYSE LNG opened at $241.77 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $50.66 billion, a PE ratio of 39.76 and a beta of 0.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.57. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $186.20 and a twelve month high of $300.89. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $264.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $227.50.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last posted 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 net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 38.95%. The firm had revenue of $5.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.69 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. The business's revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 15.2 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share 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 buy up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. Cheniere Energy's payout ratio is currently 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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