Jennison Associates LLC Decreases Stock Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• Jennison Associates LLC cut its stake in Cheniere by 30.5% in Q4, selling 451,368 shares and now holds 1,029,213 shares (about 0.48% of the company) valued at roughly $200.07 million.
• Cheniere declared a quarterly dividend of $0.555 per share and launched a $10.0 billion share buyback authorization (up to 21.1% of shares), signaling management support for the stock.
• Analysts are broadly positive with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $295.56, backed by a strong quarterly EPS beat of $10.68 versus $3.90 estimated.

Jennison Associates LLC reduced its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 30.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,029,213 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 451,368 shares during the quarter. Jennison Associates LLC owned approximately 0.48% of Cheniere Energy worth $200,069,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of LNG. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the third quarter worth $142,688,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Cheniere Energy by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,219,557 shares of the energy company's stock worth $4,124,870,000 after buying an additional 414,022 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in Cheniere Energy by 6.7% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,007,073 shares of the energy company's stock worth $1,411,542,000 after buying an additional 377,369 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Cheniere Energy by 21.5% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,025,609 shares of the energy company's stock worth $475,633,000 after buying an additional 359,123 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Railway Pension Investments Ltd increased its position in Cheniere Energy by 62.9% in the third quarter. Railway Pension Investments Ltd now owns 777,200 shares of the energy company's stock worth $182,626,000 after buying an additional 300,100 shares during the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $286.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Bank of America raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $296.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Scotiabank raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $295.56.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cheniere Energy

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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 64,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,622,720. This trade represents a 25.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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 value of $8,700,000.00. Following 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 position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Cheniere Energy News

Here are the key news stories impacting Cheniere Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Improved technical: Cheniere’s Relative Strength (RS) rating rose to 83, a bullish short‑term momentum signal that can attract momentum traders and institutional buyers. Stocks to watch: Cheniere Energy sees RS rating rise to 83
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend support: Cheniere declared a quarterly dividend of $0.555/share (record May 11, payable May 19), which can make the stock more attractive to income and dividend-focused investors ahead of the ex‑dividend date. Cheniere Declares Quarterly Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Supply tightening: A Zacks piece reports an ~8% drop in global LNG output amid conflict-driven disruptions — a supply shock that could support higher LNG prices and benefit major exporters like Cheniere. Higher realized LNG prices or stronger demand could lift cash flows. Global Supply Shock Rattles LNG Production: Natural Gas ETFs in Focus
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader supply developments: Eni’s new gas discoveries (Mozambique, Indonesia) are longer‑term supply additions that could eventually boost global LNG availability; this is a watch‑item for medium/long‑term demand/supply balance but not an immediate company‑specific catalyst. Eni's Gas Discoveries Power Its Push to Capture Rising LNG Demand
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst estimate revisions: US Capital Advisors issued a mix of near‑term raises (Q1 and Q2 2026) but cut several later quarters and materially lowered FY2027 EPS (from $16.39 to $15.19) and trimmed other 2026/2027 quarter forecasts — a negative signal for forward earnings growth expectations that can weigh on valuation. MarketBeat: Cheniere analyst updates

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Cheniere Energy stock opened at $271.73 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.18 and a beta of 0.14. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a one year low of $186.20 and a one year high of $300.89. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $260.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $225.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.90 by $6.78. The company had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 32.04% and a net margin of 26.68%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 22.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.33 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 13.97 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.555 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.14%.

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

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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