Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. Invests $765,000 in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. has made a new investment of $765,000 in Cheniere Energy, Inc., purchasing 3,313 shares during the first quarter.
• Cheniere Energy recently reported strong quarterly earnings, with $7.30 EPS exceeding estimates of $2.35 and revenue of $4.64 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50, representing an annualized yield of 0.9%, with a payout ratio of 11.68%.

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 3,313 shares of the energy company's stock, valued at approximately $765,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. REAP Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 150.0% during the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 125 shares of the energy company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Cooksen Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $38,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Tsfg LLC lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 676.0% during the 1st quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 194 shares of the energy company's stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cheniere Energy

In related news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.93, for a total value of $1,057,499.00. Following the sale, the director owned 29,733 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,312,236.69. This represents a 12.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LNG has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America lifted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $258.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. Scotiabank reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $262.00 target price (up from $253.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $288.00 target price on Cheniere Energy and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $267.00 to $284.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $261.93.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

LNG stock traded down $3.4170 during trading on Friday, hitting $237.1930. The company had a trading volume of 1,434,026 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,843,400. The firm has a market cap of $52.13 billion, a PE ratio of 13.85 and a beta of 0.43. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 1-year low of $175.14 and a 1-year high of $257.65. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $234.76 and a 200-day moving average price of $229.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96.

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

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 18th. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 8th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 11.68%.

About Cheniere Energy

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.