Aberdeen Group plc Lowers Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group plc significantly reduced its stake in Cheniere Energy by 67.8%, selling around 634,375 shares and now owning approximately 0.14% of the company, valued at $69.8 million.
• Cheniere Energy reported $7.30 earnings per share, exceeding estimates by $4.95, and a revenue of $4.64 billion, marking a 42.8% increase year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, representing an annualized dividend of $2.00 with a 0.9% yield.

Aberdeen Group plc lessened its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 67.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 301,650 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 634,375 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc owned 0.14% of Cheniere Energy worth $69,802,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. REAP Financial Group LLC boosted its position in Cheniere Energy by 150.0% during the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 125 shares of the energy company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Cooksen Wealth LLC bought a new position in Cheniere Energy in the first quarter valued at $38,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Tsfg LLC lifted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 676.0% in the 1st quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 194 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Cheniere Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $262.00 price target (up previously from $253.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $252.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $261.93.

Cheniere Energy Trading Up 2.2%

LNG traded up $5.1770 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $241.1870. 805,244 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,101,448. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.09 and a beta of 0.43. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $234.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $228.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 1-year low of $175.14 and a 1-year high of $257.65.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The energy company reported $7.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $4.95. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 21.05% and a return on equity of 37.83%. The firm had revenue of $4.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.48 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.84 EPS. The company's revenue was up 42.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 18th. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 8th. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.68%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.93, for a total transaction of $1,057,499.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Cheniere Energy Profile

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.