Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Sells 25,215 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• Jefferies sold 25,215 shares of Cheniere, cutting its stake by 52.3% and now holds 23,023 shares valued at about $5.41 million.
• Cheniere posted a sizable earnings beat (Q EPS $10.68 vs. $3.90 est.) and its board authorized a $10.0 billion buyback that could repurchase up to 21.1% of shares.
• Institutional ownership is high at 87.26%; the stock trades near $250.68 with a $52.7B market cap and a consensus "Moderate Buy" price target of $264.89.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lessened its position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 52.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 23,023 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 25,215 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $5,410,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy in the third quarter worth $25,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 250.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 140 shares of the energy company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. raised its stake in Cheniere Energy by 47.6% in the third quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 155 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the third quarter worth about $38,000. 87.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Trading Down 1.8%

Cheniere Energy stock opened at $250.68 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $214.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $216.93. The company has a market capitalization of $52.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.32 and a beta of 0.25. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $186.20 and a 52 week high of $259.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.90 by $6.78. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 26.68% and a return on equity of 32.04%. The company had revenue of $5.45 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.48 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.33 EPS. Cheniere Energy's quarterly revenue was up 22.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current year.

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

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th were paid a $0.555 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 9.14%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on LNG. Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $266.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $282.00 to $271.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $284.00 to $280.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 12th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Cheniere Energy from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $264.89.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LNG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.