Picton Mahoney Asset Management Makes New $10.91 Million Investment in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Key Points

• Picton Mahoney Asset Management invested approximately $10.9 million in Cheniere Energy, Inc. by acquiring 47,126 shares during the first quarter.
• Analysts have raised their target prices for Cheniere Energy, with the average target now at $260.36, while fifteen analysts have given the stock a "buy" rating.
• Cheniere Energy declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, representing an annual yield of 0.88% and a payout ratio of 14.63%.

Picton Mahoney Asset Management acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 47,126 shares of the energy company's stock, valued at approximately $10,905,000.

Other institutional 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 worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Cooksen Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 1st quarter worth $38,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Nemes Rush Group LLC lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 2,022.2% during the 4th quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 191 shares of the energy company's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on LNG shares. Wall Street Zen cut Cheniere Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $262.00 price target (up previously from $253.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Wolfe Research cut Cheniere Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $267.00 price target on Cheniere Energy and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $260.36.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 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 document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LNG traded up $1.51 during trading on Friday, reaching $237.39. 1,217,877 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,135,648. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $235.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $229.37. The stock has a market cap of $52.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.34 and a beta of 0.42. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $167.66 and a 12-month high of $257.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The energy company reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.81 by ($1.24). The business had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.73 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 32.62% and a net margin of 18.37%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.13 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 18th. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 8th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 14.63%.

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.