Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Acquires 1,338 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 5.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 26,380 shares of the energy company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,338 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.'s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $6,104,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. WR Wealth Planners LLC grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 373.1% during the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 123 shares of the energy company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. REAP Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 150.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Nemes Rush Group LLC increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 2,022.2% in the fourth quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 191 shares of the energy company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock traded down $3.23 on Wednesday, hitting $236.72. The company had a trading volume of 1,603,847 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,877,287. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.32, a P/E/G ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.19. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 1 year low of $165.25 and a 1 year high of $257.65. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $234.08 and a 200-day moving average of $225.84.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The energy company reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.81 by ($1.24). The company had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.73 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 18.37% and a return on equity of 32.62%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.13 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast 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 will be paid on Monday, August 18th. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 8th. Cheniere Energy's payout ratio is currently 14.63%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LNG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Raymond James Financial restated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wolfe Research lowered shares of Cheniere Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Cheniere Energy from $253.00 to $267.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Cheniere Energy from $255.00 to $247.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $256.08.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Cheniere Energy news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now owns 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.