Credit Agricole S A Raises Stock Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• Credit Agricole S A increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 20.2% in the first quarter, now owning 147,088 shares valued at approximately $34 million.
• Cheniere Energy reported a $7.30 EPS for the last quarter, far exceeding analyst expectations and marking a significant year-over-year revenue growth of 42.8%.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50, which reflects an annualized yield of 0.9% and indicates a sustainable dividend payout ratio of 11.68%.

Credit Agricole S A grew its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 20.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 147,088 shares of the energy company's stock after purchasing an additional 24,736 shares during the period. Credit Agricole S A owned about 0.07% of Cheniere Energy worth $34,036,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. REAP Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Cheniere Energy by 150.0% during the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 125 shares of the energy company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Cooksen Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the first quarter worth about $38,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Tsfg LLC increased its stake in Cheniere Energy by 676.0% during the first quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 194 shares of the energy company's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on LNG. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $262.00 price target (up from $253.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Raymond James Financial restated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wolfe Research lowered shares of Cheniere Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Cheniere Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. 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 note on Thursday, June 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $261.93.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Cheniere Energy news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of the 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 transaction, the director directly owned 29,733 shares in the company, valued at $7,312,236.69. This 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 this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Cheniere Energy Stock Up 0.2%

LNG stock opened at $230.3490 on Wednesday. The company's 50 day moving average price is $234.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $228.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.98. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $175.14 and a fifty-two week high of $257.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.45 and a beta of 0.43.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The energy company reported $7.30 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $4.95. The company had revenue of $4.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 21.05% and a return on equity of 37.83%. The firm's revenue was up 42.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.84 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 8th. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 11.68%.

About Cheniere Energy

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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