Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV Invests $4.96 Million in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• Nations Financial Group disclosed a new first-quarter stake in Cheniere Energy, buying 17,476 shares valued at about $4.96 million.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on the LNG exporter, with several firms raising price targets and MarketBeat’s consensus rating sitting at Moderate Buy with an average target of $297.71.
• Despite strong revenue growth and a recently approved $10 billion share buyback, Cheniere reported a steep quarterly EPS miss, while insiders have also been selling shares.

Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 17,476 shares of the energy company's stock, valued at approximately $4,959,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Strive Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Sankala Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on LNG shares. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Benchmark reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Scotiabank reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $297.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This represents a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total transaction of $6,473,141.08. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LNG opened at $227.25 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $246.21 and a 200-day moving average of $232.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.57. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $186.20 and a twelve month high of $300.89. The firm has a market cap of $47.62 billion and a PE ratio of 37.38.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.25 by ($20.90). Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 38.95% and a net margin of 7.23%.The company had revenue of $5.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.69 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

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

Cheniere Energy declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback 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 purchase up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Company 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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