IFM Investors Pty Ltd Has $17.25 Million Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

IFM Investors Pty Ltd lifted its stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 9.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 74,532 shares of the energy company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,505 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd's holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $17,247,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 4.5% in the fourth 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 grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,126,512 shares of the energy company's stock worth $886,664,000 after acquiring an additional 379,142 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 16.1% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,237,303 shares of the energy company's stock worth $695,599,000 after acquiring an additional 450,031 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth $629,197,000. Finally, Amundi lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 19.9% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 2,696,002 shares of the energy company's stock worth $606,907,000 after purchasing an additional 448,189 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LNG has been the subject of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group set a $288.00 target price on Cheniere Energy and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wall Street Zen cut Cheniere Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Mizuho raised their target price on Cheniere Energy from $248.00 to $254.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $267.00 target price on Cheniere Energy and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $258.36.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director directly owned 29,733 shares in the company, valued at $7,312,236.69. This trade represents a 12.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LNG traded down $0.81 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $239.46. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,049,816 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,848,015. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $167.66 and a fifty-two week high of $257.65. The company has a market capitalization of $53.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.52 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $235.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $227.22.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The energy company reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.81 by ($1.24). The business had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.73 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 18.37% and a return on equity of 32.62%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.13 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 18th. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 8th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. Cheniere Energy's payout ratio is 14.63%.

Cheniere Energy 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.