National Pension Service Boosts Holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• National Pension Service increased its Cheniere Energy stake by 5.3% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 628,756 shares valued at about $122.1 million.
• Two Cheniere executives recently sold shares: EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares and CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares, both representing notable reductions in their ownership.
• Cheniere announced a $10 billion share repurchase program and paid a quarterly dividend of $0.555 per share, while analysts currently maintain a consensus Buy rating with a target price of $293.50.

National Pension Service grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 5.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 628,756 shares of the energy company's stock after purchasing an additional 31,794 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned 0.29% of Cheniere Energy worth $122,073,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in LNG. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 250.0% in the third quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 140 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AXS Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at $18,622,720. This trade represents a 25.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, March 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $8,700,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock opened at $224.42 on Friday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $261.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $229.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.91 and a beta of 0.07. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $186.20 and a 12 month high of $300.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.48.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.25 by ($20.90). The business had revenue of $5.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.69 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 38.95%. The business's revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 15.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, February 26th that permits the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the energy company to repurchase up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a $0.555 dividend. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. Cheniere Energy's payout ratio is presently 36.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on LNG. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 13th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $293.50.

Cheniere Energy Profile

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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