Intech Investment Management LLC Increases Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• Intech Investment Management boosted its Cheniere Energy stake by 481.1% in the fourth quarter, ending with 163,011 shares valued at about $31.7 million.
• Cheniere reported a sharp earnings miss for the quarter, posting -$16.65 EPS versus analyst expectations of $4.25, even though revenue of $5.87 billion came in above estimates and rose 7.8% year over year.
• The company recently paid a quarterly dividend of $0.555 per share and has a $10 billion share buyback authorization in place, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Buy with an average target price of $293.50.

Intech Investment Management LLC raised its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 481.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 163,011 shares of the energy company's stock after purchasing an additional 134,960 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC owned 0.08% of Cheniere Energy worth $31,688,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 140 shares of the energy company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AXS Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. 87.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Trading Down 0.5%

NYSE LNG opened at $229.83 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.57. The firm has a market cap of $48.16 billion, a PE ratio of 37.80 and a beta of 0.07. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a one year low of $186.20 and a one year high of $300.89. The firm's fifty day moving average is $261.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $229.44.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.69 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 38.95%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 15.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

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

Cheniere Energy announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, February 26th that permits the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the energy company to reacquire up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on LNG. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. UBS Group set a $290.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $286.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $293.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Cheniere Energy news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,622,720. The trade was a 25.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, March 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $8,700,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This represents a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

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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