Federated Hermes Inc. Has $176.29 Million Stock Holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Key Points

• Federated Hermes Inc. increased its stake in Cheniere Energy by 22.4%, owning approximately 0.34% of the company, valued at $176.3 million after acquiring an additional 139,377 shares.
• Cheniere Energy reported a quarterly earnings miss with $1.57 EPS compared to analysts' expectations of $2.81, even as its revenue rose 28.0% year-over-year to $5.44 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, which equates to an annualized dividend of $2.00, representing a yield of 0.88%.

Federated Hermes Inc. raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 22.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 761,823 shares of the energy company's stock after purchasing an additional 139,377 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. owned 0.34% of Cheniere Energy worth $176,286,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. REAP Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 150.0% during the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 125 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Cooksen Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy during the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Nemes Rush Group LLC boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 2,022.2% during the 4th quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 191 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on LNG shares. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $255.00 to $247.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Finally, Scotiabank restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $260.36.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

NYSE:LNG traded up $2.19 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $238.07. 1,441,005 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,137,145. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $167.66 and a 12 month high of $257.65. The company has a fifty day moving average of $235.23 and a 200 day moving average of $229.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24. The stock has a market cap of $52.80 billion, a PE ratio of 17.46 and a beta of 0.42.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The energy company reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.81 by ($1.24). Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 32.62% and a net margin of 18.37%. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.73 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.13 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 8th. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.63%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.93, for a total value of $1,057,499.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 29,733 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,312,236.69. This trade represents a 12.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

About Cheniere Energy

Cheniere Energy, Inc, an energy infrastructure company, primarily engages in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) related businesses in the United States. It owns and operates the Sabine Pass LNG terminal in Cameron Parish, Louisiana; and the Corpus Christi LNG terminal near Corpus Christi, Texas. The company also owns Creole Trail pipeline, a 94-mile natural gas supply pipeline that interconnects the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal with several interstate and intrastate pipelines; and operates Corpus Christi pipeline, a 21.5-mile natural gas supply pipeline that interconnects the Corpus Christi LNG terminal with various interstate and intrastate natural gas pipelines.