Total Wealth Planning & Management Inc. Invests $1.26 Million in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• Total Wealth Planning & Management initiated a new position in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter, buying 6,476 shares worth about $1.26 million. The stake now represents about 0.9% of the firm’s portfolio.
• Cheniere is moving ahead with major growth plans, including awarding Bechtel the EPC contract for the next phase of its Sabine Pass LNG expansion. The project is aimed at boosting future export capacity.
• The company reported mixed recent results: quarterly revenue beat estimates, but EPS missed by a wide margin. Analysts remain generally bullish, with several raising price targets and maintaining buy or outperform ratings.

Total Wealth Planning & Management Inc. acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 6,476 shares of the energy company's stock, valued at approximately $1,259,000. Cheniere Energy comprises approximately 0.9% of Total Wealth Planning & Management Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in Cheniere Energy in the third quarter worth $27,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc bought a new position in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new position in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth $43,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 82.6% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 199 shares of the energy company's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Key Cheniere Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cheniere advanced the next phase of its Sabine Pass LNG expansion by awarding Bechtel the EPC contract, reinforcing its growth strategy and future export capacity. Bechtel picked for $4.69B Sabine Pass LNG expansion in Louisiana
• Positive Sentiment: Cheniere also awarded the EPC contract for the next phase of Sabine Pass expansion to Bechtel, another sign that management is moving ahead with a major capacity buildout. Cheniere awards EPC contract for next phase of Sabine Pass LNG expansion to Bechtel
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts raised earnings estimates for Cheniere, while JPMorgan lifted its price target to $327 and kept an overweight rating, which can support investor confidence in the stock. Benzinga report on JPMorgan price target increase
• Positive Sentiment: US Capital Advisors increased earnings forecasts across multiple future periods, reflecting expectations for stronger profitability and a favorable LNG export backdrop. Cheniere Energy (LNG) Moves To Scale Capacity Amid Favorable LNG Exports Backdrop
• Neutral Sentiment: The broader energy/LNG commentary highlighted Cheniere as a beneficiary of stronger global LNG demand, especially as Europe seeks more diverse energy supplies, but this is more thematic support than a company-specific development. See opportunities in European defense & U.S. LNG : RGA Investments

Cheniere Energy Stock Up 2.2%

Shares of NYSE LNG opened at $240.65 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $50.43 billion and a PE ratio of 39.58. The business has a fifty day moving average of $257.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $230.13. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $186.20 and a 52-week high of $300.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.57.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.25 by ($20.90). The company had revenue of $5.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.69 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 38.95%. The firm's revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.57 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were issued 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 of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. Cheniere Energy's payout ratio is currently 36.51%.

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 stock was sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total value 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. The trade was a 25.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 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 value of $8,700,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares of the company's stock, valued at $26,143,800. This represents a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group set a $290.00 target price on Cheniere Energy in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Barclays raised their target price on Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Cheniere Energy from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Benchmark reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $298.63.

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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