CUSHING ASSET MANAGEMENT LP dba NXG INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Trims Stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• Cushing Asset Management LP dba NXG Investment Management
• Cheniere posted a large earnings beat (EPS $10.68 vs. $3.90 est.) with revenue up 22.9% year‑over‑year, and its board authorized a $10.0 billion share buyback (up to 21.1% of shares outstanding).
• Institutional ownership is high (~87%), analysts are mostly constructive (average rating Moderate Buy, average target ~$293), but the stock has seen recent weakness (down ~4.5%) and notable insider selling.

CUSHING ASSET MANAGEMENT LP dba NXG INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT reduced its position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 28.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 324,800 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 126,000 shares during the period. Cheniere Energy makes up 3.6% of CUSHING ASSET MANAGEMENT LP dba NXG INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT's portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. CUSHING ASSET MANAGEMENT LP dba NXG INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT owned about 0.15% of Cheniere Energy worth $63,138,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in LNG. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $142,688,000. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,007,073 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $1,411,542,000 after purchasing an additional 377,369 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 21.5% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,025,609 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $475,633,000 after purchasing an additional 359,123 shares in the last quarter. Railway Pension Investments Ltd grew its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 62.9% during the 3rd quarter. Railway Pension Investments Ltd now owns 777,200 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $182,626,000 after purchasing an additional 300,100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP grew its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 53.7% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 816,028 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $191,750,000 after purchasing an additional 285,062 shares in the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Cheniere Energy

Here are the key news stories impacting Cheniere Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Macroeconomic tailwinds — Middle East tensions and a broader natural‑gas rally are tightening global LNG supply, which increases near‑term demand for U.S. exporters with large-scale capacity and long‑term contracts like Cheniere. Is Cheniere Energy the LNG Stock to Buy on Mideast Tension?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade — Scotiabank raised its price target on LNG (from $285 to $288) and assigned a "sector outperform" rating, implying upside versus the current price and signaling confidence in Cheniere’s fundamentals. Scotiabank PT raise
• Positive Sentiment: Consensus broker view is constructive — A compilation of brokerage recommendations shows an average rating of "Moderate Buy," supporting demand from institutional buyers. Cheniere Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy"
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces highlight potential rebound in natural gas and name Cheniere as a likely beneficiary, but these are conditional on continued price momentum and geopolitics, so near‑term upside depends on how sustained the rally proves. Natural Gas Looks Ready to Rebound
• Negative Sentiment: JP Morgan downside pressure — JPMorgan cut its price target on LNG despite expecting a strong Q1, which may be weighing on sentiment and contributed to selling pressure today. JPMorgan Lowers Cheniere Energy Price Target

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 4.5%

Shares of NYSE:LNG opened at $250.82 on Friday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $186.20 and a 52-week high of $300.89. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $254.10 and a 200 day moving average of $224.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.71 billion, a PE ratio of 10.32 and a beta of 0.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.94.

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

Cheniere Energy announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, February 26th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the energy company to repurchase up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th were given a dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 9.14%.

Insider Activity

In other Cheniere Energy news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total transaction of $6,473,141.08. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at $18,622,720. This represents a 25.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $8,700,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,143,800. The trade was a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $305.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $293.00.

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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