Kestra Investment Management LLC Acquires 6,851 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• Kestra Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 319.1% during the first quarter, now owning 8,998 shares valued at approximately $2.06 million.
• Cheniere Energy recently reported an EPS of $7.30 for the last quarter, significantly exceeding the consensus estimate of $2.35 and showing a 42.8% increase in revenue year-over-year.
• Analysts are optimistic about Cheniere Energy's stock; multiple firms have raised their price targets, with a consensus average target price of $263.29 and a prevailing rating of "Buy."

Kestra Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 319.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,998 shares of the energy company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,851 shares during the quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC's holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $2,062,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $335,000. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $181,000. CoreCap Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 7.0% during the 4th quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 3,755 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $807,000 after buying an additional 246 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $273,000. Finally, Clark Capital Management Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth $291,000. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $267.00 to $284.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $262.00 price objective (up previously from $253.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $288.00 price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Friday, August 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $263.29.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of LNG stock traded down $0.20 during trading on Thursday, reaching $236.84. The company had a trading volume of 1,560,010 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,067,183. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $235.17 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $230.99. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a one year low of $176.56 and a one year high of $257.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The company has a market capitalization of $52.05 billion, a PE ratio of 13.83 and a beta of 0.43.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The energy company reported $7.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.35 by $4.95. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 37.83% and a net margin of 21.05%.The firm had revenue of $4.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.48 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.84 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 42.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 18th. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 8th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.68%.

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.