Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY Cuts Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• Miller Howard Investments cut its stake in Cheniere by 13.6%, selling 25,255 shares to hold 160,277 shares worth about $31.16 million per its latest 13F, and institutional investors now own roughly 87.26% of the company.
• Company insiders executed large sales recently — CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares at about $300 and EVP Sean Markowitz sold 22,246 shares at about $291, each trimming their positions by roughly 25%.
• Analysts have become more bullish (consensus rating "Moderate Buy", target ~$293) with several firms raising price targets (UBS to $340, Jefferies to $330, BofA to $322), while Cheniere posted a beat with Q1 EPS $10.68 vs. $3.90 expected and approved a $10 billion share buyback (~21.1% of shares).

Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY decreased its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 13.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 160,277 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 25,255 shares during the quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY owned about 0.07% of Cheniere Energy worth $31,156,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LNG. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth $335,000. Bank of Nova Scotia raised its position in Cheniere Energy by 13.3% in the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 8,825 shares of the energy company's stock worth $2,149,000 after acquiring an additional 1,035 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in Cheniere Energy by 23.1% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 183,153 shares of the energy company's stock worth $44,600,000 after acquiring an additional 34,422 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its position in Cheniere Energy by 0.8% in the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 103,040 shares of the energy company's stock worth $25,092,000 after acquiring an additional 805 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC raised its position in Cheniere Energy by 87.0% in the second quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 36,502 shares of the energy company's stock worth $8,889,000 after acquiring an additional 16,977 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on LNG shares. Bank of America raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $296.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Cheniere Energy from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. UBS Group raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $305.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $293.00.

Key Stories Impacting Cheniere Energy

Here are the key news stories impacting Cheniere Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Macroeconomic tailwinds — Middle East tensions and a broader natural‑gas rally are tightening global LNG supply, which increases near‑term demand for U.S. exporters with large-scale capacity and long‑term contracts like Cheniere. Is Cheniere Energy the LNG Stock to Buy on Mideast Tension?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade — Scotiabank raised its price target on LNG (from $285 to $288) and assigned a "sector outperform" rating, implying upside versus the current price and signaling confidence in Cheniere’s fundamentals. Scotiabank PT raise
• Positive Sentiment: Consensus broker view is constructive — A compilation of brokerage recommendations shows an average rating of "Moderate Buy," supporting demand from institutional buyers. Cheniere Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy"
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces highlight potential rebound in natural gas and name Cheniere as a likely beneficiary, but these are conditional on continued price momentum and geopolitics, so near‑term upside depends on how sustained the rally proves. Natural Gas Looks Ready to Rebound
• Negative Sentiment: JP Morgan downside pressure — JPMorgan cut its price target on LNG despite expecting a strong Q1, which may be weighing on sentiment and contributed to selling pressure today. JPMorgan Lowers Cheniere Energy Price Target

Insider Transactions at Cheniere Energy

In related news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $8,700,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This trade represents a 24.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total value of $6,473,141.08. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 64,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,622,720. This represents a 25.79% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

Cheniere Energy Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of LNG stock opened at $250.82 on Monday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $186.20 and a fifty-two week high of $300.89. The stock has a market cap of $52.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.32 and a beta of 0.14. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $254.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $223.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.90 by $6.78. The business had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 32.04% and a net margin of 26.68%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 22.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.33 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 6th were given a dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.14%.

Cheniere Energy announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, February 26th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the energy company to buy up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's management believes its stock is 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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