Diversified Trust Co Has $2.37 Million Holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• Diversified Trust Co boosted its Cheniere Energy stake by 403.2% in the first quarter, ending with 8,333 shares valued at about $2.37 million.
• Several other institutional investors also added to their positions, and institutions overall now own 87.26% of Cheniere Energy’s stock.
• Insiders sold shares recently: EVP Sean N. Markowitz and CFO Zach Davis both trimmed holdings, even as the company maintained a $10 billion share buyback program and paid a quarterly dividend of $0.555 per share.

Diversified Trust Co increased its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 403.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,333 shares of the energy company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,677 shares during the quarter. Diversified Trust Co's holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $2,365,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 7.3% in the third quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 688 shares of the energy company's stock worth $162,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Quest Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. Quest Investment Management LLC now owns 875 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $206,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Aviso Wealth Management boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Aviso Wealth Management now owns 2,489 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $484,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Keel Point LLC boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Keel Point LLC now owns 1,111 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $261,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, Waterfront Wealth Inc. grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. now owns 1,486 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $311,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total value of $6,473,141.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,622,720. This represents a 25.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $8,700,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares of the company's stock, valued at $26,143,800. The trade was a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Cheniere Energy Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of LNG opened at $227.25 on Monday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $186.20 and a 12-month high of $300.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.62 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.38. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $246.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $232.22.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.25 by ($20.90). Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 38.95%. The firm had revenue of $5.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.69 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. The company's revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, February 26th that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the energy company to buy up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were given a $0.555 dividend. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LNG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Weiss Ratings cut Cheniere Energy from a "buy (b)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Benchmark reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $297.71.

Cheniere Energy 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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