National Bank of Canada FI Sells 136,752 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Key Points

• National Bank of Canada FI reduced its stake in Cheniere Energy by 41.4%, now holding 193,409 shares worth approximately $44.75 million.
• Cheniere Energy reported earnings of $7.30 EPS for the last quarter, significantly exceeding the consensus estimate of $2.35, with quarterly revenue up 42.8% year-over-year.
• The current consensus rating for Cheniere Energy is a "Moderate Buy", with an average price target of $260.71 according to various analysts.

National Bank of Canada FI cut its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 41.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 193,409 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 136,752 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI owned about 0.09% of Cheniere Energy worth $44,748,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LNG. Fayez Sarofim & Co acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the first quarter worth $305,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Cheniere Energy by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 181,119 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $41,911,000 after purchasing an additional 12,668 shares during the last quarter. Accuvest Global Advisors bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $413,000. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 12.0% in the 1st quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC now owns 20,269 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $4,690,000 after purchasing an additional 2,172 shares during the period. Finally, Maryland State Retirement & Pension System boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 200,720 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $46,447,000 after purchasing an additional 3,720 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.93, for a total transaction of $1,057,499.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 29,733 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 this link. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LNG has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wolfe Research downgraded Cheniere Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $288.00 price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $252.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $262.00 price objective (up previously from $253.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $255.00 to $247.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $261.93.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock traded up $0.26 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $230.03. 100,661 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,123,283. The company has a market cap of $50.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.44 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $235.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $228.77. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $175.14 and a fifty-two week high of $257.65.

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

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 18th. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 8th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.