Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. Purchases 8,581 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Key Points

• Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. increased its stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. by 14.1%, owning 69,578 shares after adding 8,581 shares, valued at approximately $16.1 million.
• Cheniere Energy reported earnings of $7.30 per share, significantly exceeding the consensus estimate of $2.35, with revenues of $4.64 billion for the quarter, up 42.8% year-over-year.
• The company announced a dividend of $0.50 per share, resulting in an annualized yield of 0.9%, with a dividend payout ratio of 11.68%.

Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. boosted its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 14.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 69,578 shares of the energy company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,581 shares during the quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc.'s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $16,100,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 0.3% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,937,749 shares of the energy company's stock worth $4,844,995,000 after purchasing an additional 54,801 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 5,681,846 shares of the energy company's stock worth $1,220,858,000 after purchasing an additional 243,418 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 534,033 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 255,140 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 12.7% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 3,185,605 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $737,149,000 after acquiring an additional 359,435 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Cheniere Energy Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:LNG opened at $231.24 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.50 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.98. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $235.08 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $228.79. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $175.14 and a 52-week high of $257.65.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 analysts' expectations of $4.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 37.83% and a net margin of 21.05%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 42.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.84 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 8th. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.68%.

Insider Transactions at Cheniere Energy

In other Cheniere Energy news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director directly owned 29,733 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LNG has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $267.00 to $284.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday. TD Cowen raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Scotiabank restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Wolfe Research downgraded Cheniere Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and set a $262.00 price target (up from $253.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $261.93.

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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