Texas Bank & Trust Co Purchases New Shares in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Texas Bank & Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 1,560 shares of the energy company's stock, valued at approximately $335,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 5,681,846 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $1,220,858,000 after purchasing an additional 243,418 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,126,512 shares of the energy company's stock worth $886,664,000 after buying an additional 379,142 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 16.1% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,237,303 shares of the energy company's stock worth $695,599,000 after buying an additional 450,031 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $629,197,000. Finally, Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 19.9% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 2,696,002 shares of the energy company's stock worth $606,907,000 after buying an additional 448,189 shares in the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

NYSE LNG traded up $0.62 on Friday, reaching $229.13. 1,351,360 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,868,020. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $153.03 and a 12 month high of $257.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $227.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $223.10. The stock has a market cap of $50.82 billion, a PE ratio of 16.10 and a beta of 0.41.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The energy company reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.81 by ($1.24). Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 20.71% and a return on equity of 37.19%. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.73 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.13 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. Cheniere Energy's payout ratio is currently 14.63%.

Insider Transactions at Cheniere Energy

In other news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.51, for a total value of $1,975,590.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 33,934 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,448,852.34. This trade represents a 20.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on LNG shares. Argus started coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $255.00 price target on the stock. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $254.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $255.00 to $247.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $252.23.

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.