Merit Financial Group LLC Increases Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 116.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,884 shares of the energy company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,240 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $1,824,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. WR Wealth Planners LLC boosted its position in Cheniere Energy by 373.1% during the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 123 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC boosted its position in Cheniere Energy by 150.0% during the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 125 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Nemes Rush Group LLC boosted its position in Cheniere Energy by 2,022.2% during the fourth quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 191 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Scotiabank cut their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $243.00 to $242.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $252.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Cheniere Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $254.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $252.23.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of LNG traded down $0.87 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $243.02. The stock had a trading volume of 2,171,270 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,881,153. The firm has a market cap of $53.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.08 and a beta of 0.43. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $154.82 and a 12 month high of $257.65. The business has a fifty day moving average of $229.40 and a 200 day moving average of $224.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.07.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The energy company reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.81 by ($1.24). Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 37.19% and a net margin of 20.71%. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.73 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.13 EPS. Cheniere Energy's revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.82%. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.63%.

Insider Transactions at Cheniere Energy

In other news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.93, for a total value of $1,057,499.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 29,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,312,236.69. This trade represents a 12.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

About Cheniere Energy

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.