Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Sells 45,045 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors LP has reduced its stake in Cheniere Energy by 2.1%, selling 45,045 shares and now holding approximately 2.14 million shares worth $495 million.
• Cheniere Energy reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $7.30, significantly exceeding estimates of $2.35 and accompanied by revenues of $4.64 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, payable on August 18th, with a dividend yield of 0.9% and a payout ratio of 11.68%.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lessened its position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 2.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,139,846 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 45,045 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 0.96% of Cheniere Energy worth $495,082,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $294,793,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 84.6% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 1,651,500 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $354,858,000 after buying an additional 756,900 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in shares of 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 valued at $1,078,450,000 after buying an additional 534,033 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 346.6% in the first quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 568,627 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $131,580,000 after buying an additional 441,296 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 valued at $737,149,000 after buying an additional 359,435 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Cheniere Energy Trading Up 2.8%

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock traded up $6.3820 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $236.7820. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,118,324 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,103,657. 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 52 week low of $175.14 and a 52 week high of $257.65. The stock has a market cap of $52.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.82 and a beta of 0.43. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $234.64 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $228.93.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The energy company reported $7.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $4.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.48 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.84 earnings per share. Cheniere Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 42.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 18th. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 8th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Cheniere Energy's payout ratio is currently 11.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on LNG. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $262.00 price target (up from $253.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Scotiabank restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $288.00 price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $255.00 to $247.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $258.00 to $271.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $261.93.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cheniere Energy

In related news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director owned 29,733 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,312,236.69. The trade was a 12.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.