Nuveen LLC Takes Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Key Points

• Nuveen LLC has made a substantial investment of approximately $294.79 million in Cheniere Energy, acquiring over 1.27 million shares in the first quarter.
• Cheniere Energy reported a significant earnings result with $7.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, exceeding estimates by over $4.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, yielding 0.9%, with an annualized payout of $2.00.

Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 1,273,953 shares of the energy company's stock, valued at approximately $294,793,000. Nuveen LLC owned 0.57% of Cheniere Energy at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cooper Financial Group lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 4,544 shares of the energy company's stock worth $1,052,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. Bornite Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,920,000. King Luther Capital Management Corp raised its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 9.2% in the 1st quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 5,569 shares of the energy company's stock worth $1,289,000 after purchasing an additional 470 shares in the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,233,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 7.9% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,492,443 shares of the energy company's stock worth $808,151,000 after purchasing an additional 255,140 shares in the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LNG has been the topic of a number of research reports. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Cheniere Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $267.00 to $284.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $258.00 to $271.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. Finally, Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Friday, August 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $261.93.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 29,733 shares in the company, valued at $7,312,236.69. This represents a 12.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Up 0.4%

LNG stock traded up $1.03 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $233.66. The company's stock had a trading volume of 428,776 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,114,486. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. The company has a market capitalization of $51.35 billion, a PE ratio of 13.64 and a beta of 0.43. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $175.14 and a 12 month high of $257.65. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $234.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $228.85.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The energy company reported $7.30 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $4.95. The company had revenue of $4.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 21.05% and a return on equity of 37.83%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 42.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.84 earnings per share. On average, equities research 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 18th. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 8th. 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.