Twin Capital Management Inc. Takes $823,000 Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• Twin Capital Management opened a new position in Cheniere Energy, buying 4,233 shares worth about $823,000 in the fourth quarter. The filing also showed heavy institutional ownership overall, with hedge funds and other investors holding 87.26% of the stock.
• Cheniere Energy recently reported quarterly earnings that missed analyst EPS expectations, posting ($16.65) per share versus estimates of $4.25, though revenue of $5.87 billion came in above forecasts. The company also said revenue rose 7.8% year over year.
• The company is returning cash to shareholders through a quarterly dividend of $0.555 per share and an ongoing $10 billion share buyback plan. Analysts remain generally positive, with a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $293.50.

Twin Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 4,233 shares of the energy company's stock, valued at approximately $823,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LNG. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the third quarter worth about $142,688,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,219,557 shares of the energy company's stock worth $4,124,870,000 after buying an additional 414,022 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in Cheniere Energy by 6.7% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,007,073 shares of the energy company's stock worth $1,411,542,000 after purchasing an additional 377,369 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Cheniere Energy by 21.5% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,025,609 shares of the energy company's stock worth $475,633,000 after purchasing an additional 359,123 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its position in Cheniere Energy by 53.7% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 816,028 shares of the energy company's stock worth $191,750,000 after purchasing an additional 285,062 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Cheniere Energy Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of LNG opened at $240.93 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.63 and a beta of 0.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $263.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $228.46. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $186.20 and a twelve month high of $300.89.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.25 by ($20.90). The firm had revenue of $5.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.69 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 38.95%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 15.2 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Cheniere Energy declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, February 26th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the energy company to purchase up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Bank of America raised their price objective 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. UBS Group set a $290.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Zacks Research raised shares of Cheniere Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $293.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Cheniere Energy news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total transaction of $6,473,141.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,622,720. The trade was a 25.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,143,800. The trade was a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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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