M&T Bank Corp Buys 5,314 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• M&T Bank Corp boosted its stake in Cheniere by 36.1% in Q4, purchasing 5,314 shares to hold 20,023 shares valued at about $3.89 million.
• Cheniere's board authorized a $10.0 billion share buyback program that could repurchase up to 21.1% of outstanding shares, and the company recently paid a quarterly dividend of $0.555 per share.
• Senior insiders have been selling: CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares (~$8.7M) and EVP Sean Markowitz sold 22,246 shares (~$6.47M), trimming their holdings by roughly 25% while insiders now own just 0.55% of the stock.

M&T Bank Corp boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 36.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,023 shares of the energy company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,314 shares during the quarter. M&T Bank Corp's holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $3,892,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new position in Cheniere Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 140 shares of the energy company's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on LNG shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Cheniere Energy from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $305.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $296.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Wolfe Research set a $220.00 price objective on Cheniere Energy and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $295.56.

Insider Activity

In other Cheniere Energy 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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,143,800. The trade was a 24.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total value of $6,473,141.08. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at $18,622,720. This trade represents a 25.79% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Cheniere Energy Trading Down 0.1%

LNG opened at $256.95 on Monday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $186.20 and a fifty-two week high of $300.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.57 and a beta of 0.14. The company's 50 day moving average price is $257.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $224.80.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.90 by $6.78. The firm had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 26.68% and a return on equity of 32.04%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 22.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.33 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 13.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.14%.

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