Community Trust & Investment Co. Sells 14,426 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• Community Trust & Investment Co. reduced its stake in Cheniere Energy by 11.9%, resulting in ownership of 107,124 shares valued at $26,087,000.
• Cheniere Energy reported $7.30 EPS, significantly exceeding analysts' estimates of $2.35, with a 42.8% increase in quarterly revenue year-over-year.
• Several research firms have recently raised their target price for Cheniere Energy, with Bank of America increasing it to $271.00 and Jefferies setting a target of $288.00.

Community Trust & Investment Co. lessened its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 11.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 107,124 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 14,426 shares during the quarter. Cheniere Energy comprises about 1.5% of Community Trust & Investment Co.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Community Trust & Investment Co.'s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $26,087,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 0.3% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,937,749 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $4,844,995,000 after acquiring an additional 54,801 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 12.9% in the first quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,660,545 shares of the energy company's stock worth $1,078,450,000 after buying an additional 534,033 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 7.9% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,492,443 shares of the energy company's stock worth $808,151,000 after buying an additional 255,140 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 12.7% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 3,185,605 shares of the energy company's stock worth $737,149,000 after buying an additional 359,435 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 0.3% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 2,703,299 shares of the energy company's stock worth $595,245,000 after buying an additional 7,297 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of LNG stock traded down $2.92 on Friday, hitting $231.42. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,066,329 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,452,719. 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 fifty-two week low of $177.56 and a fifty-two week high of $257.65. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $234.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $231.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.51 and a beta of 0.43.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The energy company reported $7.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $4.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.48 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.84 EPS. Cheniere Energy's quarterly revenue was up 42.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on LNG. Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Friday, August 8th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Friday. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $268.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group set a $288.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Bank of America lifted their price target 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. Finally, Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $262.00 price target (up previously from $253.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $263.60.

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.