KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Boosts Stock Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS boosted its stake in Cheniere by 66.5% to 140,676 shares (≈$27.35M), while institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own about 87.26% of the company.
• Cheniere reported a strong quarter with $10.68 EPS vs. $3.90 expected and 22.9% YoY revenue growth, and its Board authorized a $10 billion buyback (up to 21.1% of shares) while maintaining a $0.555 quarterly dividend (≈0.9% yield).
• Insiders (EVP and CFO) recently sold sizable stakes—22,246 and 29,000 shares respectively, each cutting ownership by ~25%—as analysts remain mixed but give a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average target of about $295.56.

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 66.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 140,676 shares of the energy company's stock after acquiring an additional 56,200 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS owned 0.07% of Cheniere Energy worth $27,346,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 5.6% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,786,636 shares of the energy company's stock worth $419,824,000 after buying an additional 95,545 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2.8% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,776,978 shares of the energy company's stock worth $417,554,000 after buying an additional 47,619 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 11.9% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 1,682,831 shares of the energy company's stock worth $392,537,000 after buying an additional 178,316 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LNG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $338.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group increased their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $305.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, Wolfe Research set a $220.00 price objective on Cheniere Energy and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $295.56.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Cheniere Energy news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 26th. The shares were 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 directly owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at $18,622,720. This represents a 25.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at $26,143,800. This trade represents a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.55% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:LNG opened at $257.11 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $54.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.58 and a beta of 0.14. The business has a 50 day moving average of $256.40 and a 200 day moving average of $224.55. 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, Inc. has a 1-year low of $186.20 and a 1-year high of $300.89.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.90 by $6.78. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 26.68% and a return on equity of 32.04%. The business had revenue of $5.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.48 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.33 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 22.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 6th were issued a dividend of $0.555 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.14%.

Cheniere Energy announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, February 26th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the energy company to purchase up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is 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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