Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) Stake Increased by Arizona State Retirement System

Arizona State Retirement System increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 1.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 65,845 shares of the energy company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,128 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System's holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $15,237,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of LNG. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth $629,197,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 84.6% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 1,651,500 shares of the energy company's stock worth $354,858,000 after acquiring an additional 756,900 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 16.1% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,237,303 shares of the energy company's stock worth $695,599,000 after acquiring an additional 450,031 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 10.1% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,126,512 shares of the energy company's stock worth $886,664,000 after acquiring an additional 379,142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 25,232.4% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 342,241 shares of the energy company's stock worth $79,195,000 after acquiring an additional 340,890 shares in the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:LNG opened at $235.08 on Friday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $167.66 and a 52-week high of $257.65. The company has a market cap of $52.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.20 and a beta of 0.42. The stock's 50-day moving average is $235.79 and its 200-day moving average is $228.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.19.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.73 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.13 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 8th. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.63%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on LNG. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $258.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Argus began coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. They set a "buy" rating and a $255.00 target price on the stock. Scotiabank lowered their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $243.00 to $242.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $277.00 target price on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $288.00 target price on shares of Cheniere Energy and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $258.36.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 29,733 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,312,236.69. This trade 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 at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

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.

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