Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Stock Position Raised by Kerusso Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Kerusso Capital Management increased its Cheniere stake by 31.5% in Q4 to 20,346 shares, worth about $3.96 million and representing 1.8% of the firm's portfolio.
• Cheniere's board authorized a $10.0 billion stock buyback program to repurchase up to 21.1% of outstanding shares, a sign the company views its shares as undervalued.
• Company insiders have been selling: EVP Sean Markowitz sold 22,246 shares (~$6.47M) and CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares (~$8.7M), each cutting their ownership by roughly 25%.

Kerusso Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 31.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,346 shares of the energy company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,875 shares during the quarter. Cheniere Energy accounts for 1.8% of Kerusso Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Kerusso Capital Management LLC's holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $3,955,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the third quarter worth $25,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the third quarter worth $27,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 250.0% in the third quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 140 shares of the energy company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Accordant Advisory Group Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the third quarter worth $38,000. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cheniere Energy

In related news, 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 transaction of $6,473,141.08. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 value of $8,700,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This represents a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LNG opened at $257.29 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 1 year low of $186.20 and a 1 year high of $300.89. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $257.19 and a 200 day simple moving average of $224.78. The firm has a market cap of $54.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.59 and a beta of 0.14.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.90 by $6.78. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 32.04% and a net margin of 26.68%.The business had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.48 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.33 earnings per share. Cheniere Energy's quarterly revenue was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, February 26th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the energy company to repurchase up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 6th were issued a dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Cheniere Energy from $286.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Wolfe Research set a $220.00 target price on Cheniere Energy and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their target price on Cheniere Energy from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $295.56.

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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