Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA Purchases 22,350 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA nearly tripled its Cheniere Energy stake in the first quarter, buying 22,350 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 33,705 shares worth about $9.3 million.
• Other institutional investors also increased positions in LNG, and overall hedge funds and other institutions own 87.26% of Cheniere Energy’s stock.
• Cheniere reported a mixed quarter with revenue of $5.87 billion beating estimates, but earnings per share missed expectations; analysts currently rate the stock Moderate Buy with an average target price of $297.71.

Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 196.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 33,705 shares of the energy company's stock after purchasing an additional 22,350 shares during the quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA's holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $9,335,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of LNG. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 13.9% in the first quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 8,716 shares of the energy company's stock worth $2,473,000 after purchasing an additional 1,063 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Cheniere Energy by 41.8% during the 1st quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,312 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $372,000 after purchasing an additional 387 shares during the last quarter. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $228,000. Wesbanco Bank Inc. grew its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 135.4% in the 1st quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 4,103 shares of the energy company's stock worth $1,164,000 after buying an additional 2,360 shares during the last quarter. Finally, J2 Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 6.9% during the first quarter. J2 Capital Management Inc now owns 2,854 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $810,000 after buying an additional 184 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Cheniere Energy

In other Cheniere Energy news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $8,700,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This represents a 24.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Cheniere Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from a "buy (b)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $297.71.

Cheniere Energy Trading Up 2.8%

NYSE:LNG opened at $241.71 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.65 billion and a P/E ratio of 39.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.48. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a one year low of $186.20 and a one year high of $300.89. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $243.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $232.99.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.25 by ($20.90). Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 38.95%. The business had revenue of $5.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. Cheniere Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a $0.555 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.51%.

Cheniere Energy Company Profile

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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