Erste Asset Management GmbH Reduces Stock Holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• Erste Asset Management GmbH reduced its stock holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. by 13.7%, now holding 97,963 shares valued at approximately $22.67 million.
• Several institutional investors, including Vanguard Group Inc. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc., have increased their holdings in Cheniere Energy, indicating a strong interest from large investment firms.
• Cheniere Energy recently reported a significant earnings beat, posting $7.30 earnings per share, which exceeded analysts' expectations, with a year-over-year revenue increase of 42.8%.

Erste Asset Management GmbH cut its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 13.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 97,963 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 15,540 shares during the quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH's holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $22,669,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,937,749 shares of the energy company's stock worth $4,844,995,000 after acquiring an additional 54,801 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 5,681,846 shares of the energy company's stock worth $1,220,858,000 after acquiring an additional 243,418 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 12.9% during the 1st quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,660,545 shares of the energy company's stock worth $1,078,450,000 after acquiring an additional 534,033 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 7.9% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,492,443 shares of the energy company's stock worth $808,151,000 after acquiring an additional 255,140 shares during the period. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 12.7% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 3,185,605 shares of the energy company's stock worth $737,149,000 after acquiring an additional 359,435 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 29,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,312,236.69. This represents a 12.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on LNG shares. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $262.00 price objective (up previously from $253.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Scotiabank reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $252.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $267.00 to $284.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, Wolfe Research cut Cheniere Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. One investment 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $261.93.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

NYSE:LNG opened at $230.3490 on Wednesday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $175.14 and a 12 month high of $257.65. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $234.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $228.93. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. The firm has a market cap of $50.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.45 and a beta of 0.43.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The energy company reported $7.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.35 by $4.95. The business had revenue of $4.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 was up 42.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.84 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 18th. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th were given 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 presently 11.68%.

Cheniere Energy Company 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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