Swiss National Bank Sells 6,400 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Key Points

• The Swiss National Bank reduced its stake in Cheniere Energy by 1.0% in Q1, now holding 632,800 shares valued at approximately $146.43 million.
• Cheniere Energy reported impressive Q2 earnings, with $7.30 earnings per share, significantly exceeding analyst estimates of $2.35 and a revenue of $4.64 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50, reflecting a 0.9% yield and a dividend payout ratio of 14.63%.

Swiss National Bank reduced its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 1.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 632,800 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 6,400 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned 0.28% of Cheniere Energy worth $146,430,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in LNG. Fayez Sarofim & Co acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the first quarter worth about $305,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 7.5% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 181,119 shares of the energy company's stock worth $41,911,000 after buying an additional 12,668 shares during the period. Accuvest Global Advisors acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the first quarter worth about $413,000. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 12.0% in the first quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC now owns 20,269 shares of the energy company's stock worth $4,690,000 after buying an additional 2,172 shares during the period. Finally, Maryland State Retirement & Pension System boosted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1.9% in the first quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 200,720 shares of the energy company's stock worth $46,447,000 after buying an additional 3,720 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Cheniere Energy

In other 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 value of $1,057,499.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 29,733 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,312,236.69. This trade represents a 12.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LNG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $252.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Friday. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Cheniere Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Scotiabank reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $261.93.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 0.0%

LNG traded down $0.06 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $229.99. 1,828,626 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,136,751. The company has a market cap of $50.54 billion, a PE ratio of 13.43 and a beta of 0.43. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $235.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $228.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.85. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a one year low of $175.14 and a one year high of $257.65.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The energy company reported $7.30 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.35 by $4.95. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 21.05% and a return on equity of 37.83%. The company had revenue of $4.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.48 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.84 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 42.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

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 given 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 dividend yield of 0.9%. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 11.68%.

Cheniere Energy Company 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.