Freedom Investment Management Inc. Has $1.06 Million Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• Freedom Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 37.9%, acquiring an additional 1,258 shares, bringing its total to 4,575 shares valued at approximately $1,059,000.
• Cheniere Energy reported $7.30 earnings per share for the last quarter, significantly exceeding analysts' expectations of $2.35, with revenue up 42.8% year-over-year.
• The firm declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, yielding an annualized dividend of 0.8%, reflecting a payout ratio of 11.68%.

Freedom Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 37.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,575 shares of the energy company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,258 shares during the quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $1,059,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy during the first quarter worth approximately $294,793,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 84.6% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 1,651,500 shares of the energy company's stock worth $354,858,000 after acquiring an additional 756,900 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in Cheniere Energy by 12.9% in the 1st 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 acquiring an additional 534,033 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Cheniere Energy by 346.6% in the 1st quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 568,627 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $131,580,000 after acquiring an additional 441,296 shares during the period. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings 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 valued at $737,149,000 after purchasing an additional 359,435 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of LNG traded up $0.46 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $242.06. 1,649,256 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,094,631. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $175.14 and a fifty-two week high of $257.65. The company has a market cap of $53.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.13 and a beta of 0.43. The firm's fifty day moving average is $235.11 and its 200 day moving average is $229.50.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last posted 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. The business had revenue of $4.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 21.05% and a return on equity of 37.83%. Cheniere Energy's revenue was up 42.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.84 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Cheniere Energy news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.93, for a total transaction of $1,057,499.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 29,733 shares in the company, valued at $7,312,236.69. This represents a 12.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on LNG shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $267.00 to $284.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Scotiabank reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $262.00 price target (up from $253.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered Cheniere Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. One equities research 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $261.93.

About Cheniere Energy

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.