CNA Financial Corp Has $14.10 Million Stock Holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• CNA Financial trimmed its stake in Cheniere by 7.7% to 60,000 shares worth about $14.10 million, making LNG roughly 8.3% of CNA's portfolio and its fifth‑largest holding.
• Cheniere's board approved a $10.0 billion share repurchase program that could buy up to 21.1% of outstanding stock, a signal the company views its shares as undervalued.
• Cheniere reported a major EPS beat of $10.68 vs. $3.90 expected, with revenue up 22.9% YoY to $5.45 billion, and pays a quarterly dividend of $0.555 (≈0.9% yield).

CNA Financial Corp cut its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 7.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 60,000 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 5,000 shares during the quarter. Cheniere Energy makes up about 8.3% of CNA Financial Corp's portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. CNA Financial Corp's holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $14,099,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 250.0% in the third quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 140 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the second quarter valued at about $34,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 47.6% during the third quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 155 shares of the energy company's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded Cheniere Energy from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $277.00 to $301.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Scotiabank increased their price target on Cheniere Energy from $266.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $264.39.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 0.6%

Cheniere Energy stock opened at $252.44 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $218.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $217.40. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $186.20 and a twelve month high of $259.24. The company has a market capitalization of $53.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.39 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.90 by $6.78. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 26.68% and a return on equity of 32.04%. The business had revenue of $5.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.48 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.33 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 9.14%.

Cheniere Energy declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, February 26th that permits the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the energy company to reacquire up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

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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