Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) Shares Sold by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. cut its stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 11.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 16,069 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 2,132 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $3,718,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. REAP Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 150.0% during the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 125 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Nemes Rush Group LLC lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 2,022.2% during the fourth quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 191 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Tsfg LLC lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 676.0% during the first quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 194 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of the business'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 owned 29,733 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,312,236.69. The trade was a 12.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on LNG. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $258.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Raymond James Financial restated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $262.00 price target (up previously from $253.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $252.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given 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 a consensus price target of $260.36.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

LNG stock traded up $12.68 during trading on Friday, hitting $244.35. 5,482,972 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,859,823. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $167.66 and a 52 week high of $257.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.87 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $235.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $228.84.

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

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 18th. Stockholders 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 0.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 8th. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.63%.

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.