Foundations Investment Advisors LLC Boosts Holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• Foundations Investment Advisors LLC increased its Cheniere Energy stake by 15.6% in the fourth quarter, owning 91,692 shares worth about $17.8 million after adding 12,353 shares.
• Analysts remain mostly bullish on Cheniere Energy, with an average “Buy” rating and a consensus price target of $293.50, even as a few firms trimmed their targets.
• Company insiders recently sold shares, while Cheniere also announced a $10 billion share repurchase program and paid a quarterly dividend of $0.555 per share, equal to a 1.0% annualized yield.

Foundations Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 15.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 91,692 shares of the energy company's stock after buying an additional 12,353 shares during the quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $17,824,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LNG. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its holdings 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 period. Finally, AXS Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LNG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target 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. Bank of America upped their price target on Cheniere Energy from $296.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $293.50.

Insider Transactions at Cheniere Energy

In related news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $8,700,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This represents a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 64,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,622,720. This represents a 25.79% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LNG opened at $230.96 on Thursday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 1-year low of $186.20 and a 1-year high of $300.89. The business has a 50-day moving average of $262.38 and a 200-day moving average of $229.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The company has a market capitalization of $48.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.99 and a beta of 0.07.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.25 by ($20.90). Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 38.95% and a net margin of 7.23%.The company had revenue of $5.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.69 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. Cheniere Energy's quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 15.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a $0.555 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.51%.

Cheniere Energy declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Thursday, February 26th that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the energy company to reacquire up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

About Cheniere Energy

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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