Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $128.26 Million Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. reduced its stake in Cheniere Energy by 21.8%, owning 554,510 shares worth approximately $128.26 million after the sale.
• Cheniere Energy's stock recently received multiple price target increases from various analysts, with Barclays setting a new target of $262.00 while maintaining an "overweight" rating.
• The company reported earnings of $7.30 EPS for the most recent quarter, significantly exceeding analysts' estimates, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. trimmed its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 21.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 554,510 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 154,899 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.25% of Cheniere Energy worth $128,257,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LNG. Altman Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 0.4% in the first quarter. Altman Advisors Inc. now owns 10,162 shares of the energy company's stock worth $2,348,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 1.1% in the first quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 4,212 shares of the energy company's stock worth $975,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Hemington Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 14.0% in the first quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 390 shares of the energy company's stock worth $90,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. BIP Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. BIP Wealth LLC now owns 3,545 shares of the energy company's stock worth $762,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 4.0% in the first quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,356 shares of the energy company's stock worth $314,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock traded down $2.32 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $230.31. The company had a trading volume of 1,268,772 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,120,150. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $234.86 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $228.85. The stock has a market cap of $50.62 billion, a PE ratio of 13.44 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.85. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $4.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 21.05% and a return on equity of 37.83%. Cheniere Energy's quarterly revenue was up 42.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.84 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 8th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.68%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LNG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Cheniere Energy from $255.00 to $247.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Friday, August 8th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $267.00 to $284.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday. Bank of America lifted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $258.00 to $271.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $288.00 target price on Cheniere Energy and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $261.93.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.93, for a total value of $1,057,499.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 29,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,312,236.69. This represents a 12.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

Cheniere Energy Company 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.