Thompson Investment Management Inc. Sells 4,365 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Thompson Investment Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 31.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,735 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 4,365 shares during the quarter. Thompson Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $2,253,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new position in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $335,000. Yousif Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 8.1% in the 4th quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 3,962 shares of the energy company's stock worth $851,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 10.8% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 28,497 shares of the energy company's stock worth $6,123,000 after buying an additional 2,770 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 10.8% during the fourth quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 1,745 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $375,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the period. Finally, Savant Capital LLC grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 10,717 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $2,303,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LNG has been the topic of several analyst reports. Raymond James reiterated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Cheniere Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Mizuho boosted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $248.00 to $254.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $243.00 to $242.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Finally, Argus initiated coverage on Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. They set a "buy" rating and a $255.00 price objective for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $252.23.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LNG traded down $0.24 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $234.76. The stock had a trading volume of 1,295,420 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,897,782. The business's 50 day moving average price is $230.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $225.12. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 1 year low of $154.82 and a 1 year high of $257.65. The company has a market cap of $52.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.50 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41.

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

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.63%.

Insider Transactions at Cheniere Energy

In other news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.93, for a total value of $1,057,499.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 29,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,312,236.69. This represents a 12.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

About Cheniere Energy

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.