Evergreen Capital Management LLC Buys 8,946 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• Evergreen Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Cheniere Energy (LNG) by 78.2% in the fourth quarter, adding 8,946 shares to hold 20,388 shares worth about $3.96 million.
• Senior insider sales: EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares at an average $290.98 (~$6.47M) and CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares at $300 (~$8.7M), each reducing their ownership by roughly 25%.
• Cheniere authorized a $10 billion share buyback (up to ~21.1% of shares) and reported a strong quarterly EPS beat of $10.68 vs. $3.90 consensus, while revenue was roughly in line with expectations.

Evergreen Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 78.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 20,388 shares of the energy company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,946 shares during the quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC's holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $3,963,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its stake in Cheniere Energy by 250.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 140 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 64,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,622,720. The trade was a 25.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This trade represents 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 corporate insiders.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:LNG opened at $258.33 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $255.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $224.32. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 1 year low of $186.20 and a 1 year high of $300.89. The company has a market capitalization of $54.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.63 and a beta of 0.14.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.90 by $6.78. The firm had revenue of $5.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 32.04% and a net margin of 26.68%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.33 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.16 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $338.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $295.56.

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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