United Asset Strategies Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• United Asset Strategies Inc. has increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. by 4.0%, now owning 27,606 shares worth approximately $6.39 million.
• Cheniere Energy recently reported an earnings per share of $7.30 for the last quarter, significantly exceeding the consensus estimate of $2.35.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend of $2.00 with a yield of 0.8%.

United Asset Strategies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 4.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,606 shares of the energy company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,069 shares during the quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc.'s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $6,388,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Altman Advisors Inc. increased its position in Cheniere Energy by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Altman Advisors Inc. now owns 10,162 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $2,348,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 1.1% during the first quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 4,212 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $975,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Hemington Wealth Management raised its stake in Cheniere Energy by 14.0% in the first quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 390 shares of the energy company's stock worth $90,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its stake in Cheniere Energy by 5.0% in the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,007 shares of the energy company's stock worth $233,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BIP Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. BIP Wealth LLC now owns 3,545 shares of the energy company's stock worth $762,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of LNG stock opened at $235.8180 on Thursday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $175.14 and a fifty-two week high of $257.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.77 and a beta of 0.43. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $234.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $228.98.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The energy company reported $7.30 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $4.95. The firm had revenue of $4.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 21.05% and a return on equity of 37.83%. Cheniere Energy's revenue was up 42.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.84 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 8th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 8th. Cheniere Energy's payout ratio is presently 11.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on LNG shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Cheniere Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $288.00 price objective on Cheniere Energy and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $252.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $262.00 price target (up from $253.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $261.93.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cheniere Energy

In related news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director directly owned 29,733 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,312,236.69. This represents a 12.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.

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