HighTower Advisors LLC Purchases 1,310 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors LLC has increased its stake in Cheniere Energy, owning 159,909 shares worth approximately $37 million after acquiring additional shares in the first quarter.
• Cheniere Energy's recent quarterly earnings reported an EPS of $7.30, significantly exceeding analysts' expectations and showing a 42.8% revenue increase compared to the same quarter last year.
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50, set to be paid on August 18th, representing a 0.9% dividend yield and a payout ratio of 11.68%.

HighTower Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 0.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 159,909 shares of the energy company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,310 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Cheniere Energy worth $37,003,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of LNG. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 0.3% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,937,749 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $4,844,995,000 after buying an additional 54,801 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 4.5% in 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 last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position 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 in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 7.9% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,492,443 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $808,151,000 after purchasing an additional 255,140 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased 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 worth $737,149,000 after purchasing an additional 359,435 shares in the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Cheniere Energy stock traded up $0.2670 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $230.2070. The stock had a trading volume of 429,775 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,104,267. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.59 billion, a PE ratio of 13.44 and a beta of 0.43. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $175.14 and a 12 month high of $257.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $234.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $228.92.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $4.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 21.05% and a return on equity of 37.83%. The company's revenue was up 42.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.84 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 8th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Cheniere Energy's payout ratio is presently 11.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on LNG. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Cheniere Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $262.00 target price (up previously from $253.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Cheniere Energy from $252.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $255.00 to $247.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $261.93.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 of the company's stock, valued at $7,312,236.69. This trade represents a 12.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.