HighTower Advisors LLC Has $34.24 Million Stock Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its Cheniere Energy stake by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 176,121 shares worth about $34.24 million.
• Cheniere reported a major earnings miss for the quarter: EPS of -$16.65 versus expectations of $4.25, even though revenue of $5.87 billion topped estimates and rose 7.8% year over year.
• The company has been active on shareholder returns, launching a $10 billion buyback program and paying a quarterly dividend of $0.555 per share for a 0.9% annualized yield.

HighTower Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 4.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 176,121 shares of the energy company's stock after buying an additional 7,172 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC owned about 0.08% of Cheniere Energy worth $34,236,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Viking Fund Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 66.7% in the fourth quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 45,000 shares of the energy company's stock worth $8,748,000 after purchasing an additional 18,000 shares during the last quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 38.8% in the fourth quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC now owns 56,930 shares of the energy company's stock worth $11,067,000 after purchasing an additional 15,927 shares during the last quarter. M&G PLC raised its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 49.6% in the third quarter. M&G PLC now owns 556,285 shares of the energy company's stock worth $130,727,000 after purchasing an additional 184,520 shares during the last quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd raised its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 35.3% in the third quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd now owns 196,819 shares of the energy company's stock worth $46,244,000 after purchasing an additional 51,326 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 12.6% in the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,460,762 shares of the energy company's stock worth $343,250,000 after purchasing an additional 163,861 shares during the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock opened at $240.59 on Friday. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $263.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $228.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.57 and a beta of 0.07. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $186.20 and a 12 month high of $300.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55.

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

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

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

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 dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.51%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total transaction of $6,473,141.08. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,622,720. This trade represents a 25.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares of the company's stock, valued at $26,143,800. This represents a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on LNG shares. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $286.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Citigroup increased their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Bank of America increased their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $296.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have given 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 price target of $293.50.

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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