State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Sells 4,016 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D cut its Cheniere stake by 5.2%, selling 4,016 shares and now holds 73,900 shares worth about $14.37 million.
• Senior insiders exited material positions: EVP Sean Markowitz sold 22,246 shares (~$6.47M) and CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares ($8.7M), each trimming their ownership by roughly 25% in late March.
• Company fundamentals and shareholder returns: Cheniere reported a large EPS beat (EPS $10.68 vs. $3.90 est.), authorized a $10.0 billion share buyback (up to ~21.1% of shares) and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.555 ($2.22 annualized, ~0.8% yield).

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lessened its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 5.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 73,900 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 4,016 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D's holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $14,365,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LNG. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $142,688,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,219,557 shares of the energy company's stock worth $4,124,870,000 after acquiring an additional 414,022 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,007,073 shares of the energy company's stock worth $1,411,542,000 after acquiring an additional 377,369 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 21.5% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,025,609 shares of the energy company's stock worth $475,633,000 after acquiring an additional 359,123 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Railway Pension Investments Ltd grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 62.9% in the 3rd quarter. Railway Pension Investments Ltd now owns 777,200 shares of the energy company's stock worth $182,626,000 after acquiring an additional 300,100 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Cheniere Energy

In related news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total transaction of $6,473,141.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,622,720. This trade represents a 25.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $8,700,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This trade represents a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on LNG. Wolfe Research set a $220.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $338.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $286.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $295.56.

More Cheniere Energy News

Here are the key news stories impacting Cheniere Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Technical strength: Cheniere’s relative strength (RS) rating rose to 83, a sign some traders view the stock as outperforming peers, which can support near‑term buying interest. RS Rating Rise
• Positive Sentiment: Near‑term estimate upgrades: US Capital Advisors raised Q1 and Q2 2026 EPS forecasts (Q1 to $3.00, Q2 to $2.61), which may support expectations for stronger early‑year cash generation. (Source: Market commentary)
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings preview: Market previews (Yahoo/Zacks) expect earnings to grow but flag that Cheniere may not have the setup for an earnings beat in the upcoming report — a mixed signal for investors awaiting the print. Earnings Preview
• Neutral Sentiment: Ticker/name noise: A separate company (LNG Energy Group) announced a partial revocation of a cease‑trade order and a proposed private placement. That press item concerns a different, smaller LNG‑tickered firm and can cause occasional investor/ticker confusion but does not affect Cheniere’s fundamentals. LNG Energy Group Release
• Negative Sentiment: Macro headwind — US natural‑gas glut: Reuters reports a domestic gas surplus even as Asia/Europe scramble for cargoes; an oversupplied U.S. market can compress basis/park‑and‑pay dynamics and create logistical/pricing pressure that may weigh on export economics or margins over time. US Gas Glut Story
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades/mixed revisions: US Capital Advisors trimmed some FY2026/FY2027 and Q4 2026 EPS estimates (small cuts to full‑year/quarterly forecasts), which can pressure expectations and share price until fresh guidance or results arrive. (Source: Market commentary)

Cheniere Energy Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of LNG opened at $270.03 on Friday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $261.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $225.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.11 and a beta of 0.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 1-year low of $186.20 and a 1-year high of $300.89.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.90 by $6.78. The firm had revenue of $5.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 26.68% and a return on equity of 32.04%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.33 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 13.97 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, February 26th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the energy company to repurchase up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.555 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Cheniere Energy's payout ratio is presently 9.14%.

Cheniere Energy Profile

Cheniere Energy, Inc is a U.S.-based energy company that develops, owns and operates liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure and markets LNG to global customers. The company's core activities include natural gas liquefaction, long‑term and short‑term LNG sales and marketing, and the associated midstream services required to move gas from production basins to international markets. Cheniere focuses on converting domestic natural gas into LNG for export, providing a bridge between North American supply and overseas demand.

Cheniere's principal operating assets are large-scale LNG export terminals located on the U.S.

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