Maple Brown Abbott Ltd Boosts Stock Holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Key Points

• Maple Brown Abbott Ltd increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 26.4% during the first quarter, acquiring an additional 52,322 shares, and now owns a total of 250,592 shares worth approximately $58 million.
• Cheniere Energy reported earnings of $7.30 per share for the most recent quarter, significantly surpassing the consensus estimate of $2.35, with revenue increasing by 42.8% year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, with a dividend yield of 0.9%, reinforcing its strong financial performance and shareholder returns.

Maple Brown Abbott Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 26.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 250,592 shares of the energy company's stock after acquiring an additional 52,322 shares during the period. Cheniere Energy makes up about 4.0% of Maple Brown Abbott Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Maple Brown Abbott Ltd owned 0.11% of Cheniere Energy worth $57,992,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 6.1% during the 1st quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 72,726 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $16,780,000 after acquiring an additional 4,198 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 159,909 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $37,003,000 after acquiring an additional 1,310 shares during the period. AGF Management Ltd. grew its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 56.3% during the 1st quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 729,255 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $168,750,000 after acquiring an additional 262,812 shares during the period. Gouws Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. Gouws Capital LLC now owns 14,740 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $3,411,000 after acquiring an additional 475 shares during the period. Finally, Eagle Global Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Eagle Global Advisors LLC now owns 304,280 shares of the energy company's stock worth $70,410,000 after buying an additional 14,335 shares during the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $262.00 price objective (up from $253.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Scotiabank reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Wolfe Research cut Cheniere Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $267.00 to $284.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $261.93.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock traded down $2.32 on Friday, hitting $230.31. 1,268,772 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,120,150. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.44 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $234.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $228.85. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 1-year low of $175.14 and a 1-year high of $257.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The energy company reported $7.30 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.48 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.84 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 42.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 8th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Cheniere Energy's payout ratio is presently 11.68%.

Insider Transactions at Cheniere Energy

In other Cheniere Energy news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director owned 29,733 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,312,236.69. The trade was a 12.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.