Stokes Capital Advisors LLC Sells 5,246 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• Stokes Capital Advisors cut its Cheniere Energy stake by 26.1% in the first quarter, selling 5,246 shares and leaving it with 14,820 shares valued at about $4.2 million.
• Analysts remain mostly bullish on Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG), with several firms raising price targets and the stock carrying a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target of $297.71.
• The company reported a significant quarterly earnings miss, posting ($16.65) EPS versus expectations of $4.25, even as revenue topped estimates and rose 7.8% year over year; Cheniere also pays a quarterly dividend and has a $10 billion share buyback authorization in place.

Stokes Capital Advisors LLC decreased its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 26.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,820 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 5,246 shares during the period. Stokes Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $4,205,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Strive Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Sankala Group LLC bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. 87.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LNG has been the subject of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $296.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective 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. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Cheniere Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $297.71.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of LNG opened at $235.56 on Friday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $186.20 and a 52-week high of $300.89. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $243.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $232.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.36 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.74.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.25 by ($20.90). Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 38.95%. The company had revenue of $5.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.69 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.57 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were given a $0.555 dividend. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.51%.

Cheniere Energy declared that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Thursday, February 26th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the energy company to repurchase up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,143,800. The trade was a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

About Cheniere Energy

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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