Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Grows Stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Key Points

• Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its investment in Cheniere Energy by 1.9%, acquiring an additional 3,720 shares, bringing its total holdings to approximately 200,720 shares worth $46.4 million.
• Cheniere Energy recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, with a payout ratio of 14.63%, indicating its commitment to returning value to shareholders.
• Analysts have mixed opinions on Cheniere Energy's stock performance, with the average target price set at $260.36 and various ratings ranging from "hold" to "strong buy."

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 1.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 200,720 shares of the energy company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,720 shares during the period. Cheniere Energy makes up 1.1% of Maryland State Retirement & Pension System's investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System owned about 0.09% of Cheniere Energy worth $46,447,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 7.6% in the first quarter. Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP now owns 1,494,901 shares of the energy company's stock worth $345,920,000 after acquiring an additional 105,875 shares in the last quarter. Fractal Investments LLC lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 27.7% in the 1st quarter. Fractal Investments LLC now owns 75,585 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $17,490,000 after acquiring an additional 16,385 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 23,505 shares of the energy company's stock worth $5,439,000 after purchasing an additional 1,630 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 37,378 shares of the energy company's stock worth $8,032,000 after purchasing an additional 1,359 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 13.1% in the first quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 11,765 shares of the energy company's stock worth $2,722,000 after purchasing an additional 1,359 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.93, for a total transaction of $1,057,499.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 29,733 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,312,236.69. This represents a 12.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on LNG shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Cheniere Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $262.00 price target (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 report on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $260.71.

Cheniere Energy Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock traded up $0.40 during trading on Monday, reaching $231.23. The company's stock had a trading volume of 942,342 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,130,531. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $175.14 and a 52-week high of $257.65. The firm's 50-day moving average is $235.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $228.78. The company has a market cap of $51.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.50 and a beta of 0.43.

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

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 is Friday, August 8th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Cheniere Energy's payout ratio 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.