Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Acquires 17,756 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Key Points

• Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC significantly increased its stake in Cheniere Energy by 397.2%, acquiring an additional 17,756 shares and bringing their total holdings to 22,226 shares valued at approximately $5.14 million.
• Cheniere Energy recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, which equates to an annualized dividend of $2.00, representing a dividend yield of 0.89%.
• The company's stock has a market capitalization of $50.09 billion, and despite reporting earnings that missed analyst expectations, their revenue increased by 28% year-over-year.

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 397.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,226 shares of the energy company's stock after purchasing an additional 17,756 shares during the quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC's holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $5,143,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Altman Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Altman Advisors Inc. now owns 10,162 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $2,348,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust boosted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1.1% in the first quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 4,212 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $975,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. BIP Wealth LLC grew its stake in Cheniere Energy by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. BIP Wealth LLC now owns 3,545 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $762,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 4.0% during the first quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,356 shares of the energy company's stock worth $314,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Glen Eagle Advisors LLC increased its stake in Cheniere Energy by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Glen Eagle Advisors LLC now owns 1,488 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $320,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LNG traded up $5.24 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $233.72. 1,304,779 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,141,361. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.83 billion, a PE ratio of 17.10 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.19. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $167.66 and a 12 month high of $257.65. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $234.94 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $229.25.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The energy company reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.81 by ($1.24). The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.73 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 32.62% and a net margin of 18.37%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.13 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 18th. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 8th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio is 14.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cheniere Energy

In other Cheniere Energy news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.93, for a total value of $1,057,499.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 29,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,312,236.69. This trade represents a 12.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on LNG. Wolfe Research downgraded Cheniere Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $252.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $255.00 to $247.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $267.00 target price on Cheniere Energy and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Finally, Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $262.00 target price (up from $253.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $260.36.

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.