Lewis Asset Management LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• Lewis Asset Management increased its stake in Cheniere Energy by 127.4%, ending the quarter with 8,751 shares valued at about $1.701 million.
• Cheniere's Board authorized a $10.00 billion share buyback (up to 21.1% of outstanding shares) and the company recently paid a quarterly dividend of $0.555 ($2.22 annualized, ~0.8% yield).
• Cheniere reported a strong quarter with $10.68 EPS (vs. $3.90 est.) and revenue up 22.9% YoY; analysts' consensus rating is "Moderate Buy" with a $282 average price target.

Lewis Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 127.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,751 shares of the energy company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,903 shares during the period. Lewis Asset Management LLC's holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $1,701,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of LNG. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,007,073 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $1,411,542,000 after buying an additional 377,369 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 21.5% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,025,609 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $475,633,000 after buying an additional 359,123 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 1,845,285 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $449,364,000 after buying an additional 8,740 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 5.6% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,786,636 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $419,824,000 after acquiring an additional 95,545 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 47,619 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LNG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays raised their target price on Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Bank of America upped their price target on Cheniere Energy from $296.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Cheniere Energy from $283.00 to $280.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 12th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $282.00.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 1.2%

Cheniere Energy stock opened at $293.40 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $61.67 billion, a PE ratio of 12.07 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.94. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $186.20 and a fifty-two week high of $300.89. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $236.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $220.47.

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

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The company 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. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.14%.

Cheniere Energy announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, February 26th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the energy company to repurchase up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's board of directors 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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