Clark Capital Management Group Inc. Buys 51,785 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• Clark Capital Management Group increased its stake in Cheniere Energy by 40.1%, buying 51,785 shares in Q3 to hold 180,809 shares worth about $42.49 million, roughly 0.08% of the company.
• Cheniere posted a material earnings beat (EPS $10.68 vs. $3.90 expected), reported strong margins and ROE, and its board approved a $10.0 billion share repurchase (up to 21.1% of shares) while paying a quarterly dividend of $0.555.

Clark Capital Management Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 40.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 180,809 shares of the energy company's stock after purchasing an additional 51,785 shares during the period. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. owned about 0.08% of Cheniere Energy worth $42,487,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 140 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. raised its stake in Cheniere Energy by 47.6% during the 3rd quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 155 shares of the energy company's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on LNG. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $282.00 to $271.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Citigroup cut their price target on Cheniere Energy from $283.00 to $280.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Cheniere Energy from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $264.39.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

LNG stock opened at $252.44 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.94. The company's fifty day moving average price is $218.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $217.23. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a one year low of $186.20 and a one year high of $259.24. The company has a market capitalization of $53.06 billion, a PE ratio of 10.39 and a beta of 0.25.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.90 by $6.78. The company had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 26.68% and a return on equity of 32.04%. Cheniere Energy's quarterly revenue was up 22.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $4.33 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Thursday, February 26th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the energy company to repurchase up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th were issued a $0.555 dividend. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. Cheniere Energy's payout ratio is 9.14%.

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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