Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Grows Stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. by 398.2% during the first quarter, reaching a total of 38,107 shares valued at approximately $8.8 million.
• Cheniere Energy reported a quarterly EPS of $7.30, significantly surpassing estimates of $2.35, and its revenue grew 42.8% year-over-year to $4.64 billion.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50, translating to an annualized yield of 0.8%, with a low payout ratio of 11.68%.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 398.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 38,107 shares of the energy company's stock after purchasing an additional 30,458 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.'s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $8,818,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. REAP Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 150.0% in the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 125 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Cooksen Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Tsfg LLC boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 676.0% in the 1st quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 194 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Cheniere Energy

In related news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of the firm'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 completion of the transaction, the director directly 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Scotiabank reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $267.00 to $284.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $262.00 price objective (up from $253.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $288.00 price objective on Cheniere Energy and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Friday, August 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $263.29.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of LNG traded down $0.50 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $241.64. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,655,524 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,730,234. 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 $235.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $230.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.11 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.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The energy company reported $7.30 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $4.95. The business had revenue of $4.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 37.83% and a net margin of 21.05%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 42.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.84 EPS. Analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Cheniere Energy 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.