United Asset Strategies Inc. Sells 4,287 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• United Asset Strategies trimmed its stake in Cheniere by 14%, selling 4,287 shares in Q4 and ending the quarter with 26,396 shares valued at about $5.13 million.
• Cheniere posted a strong quarter — EPS $10.68 vs. $3.90 expected — reported robust margins and ROE, declared a $0.555 quarterly dividend, and authorized a $10 billion share buyback covering up to 21.1% of shares.
• Insiders sold sizable blocks (EVP Sean Markowitz 22,246 shares; CFO Zach Davis 29,000 shares, each cutting ownership ~25%), even as analysts lifted price targets and the consensus MarketBeat rating is a "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $295.56.

United Asset Strategies Inc. trimmed its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 14.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,396 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 4,287 shares during the quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc.'s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $5,131,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new position in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth $335,000. Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 13.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 8,825 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $2,149,000 after purchasing an additional 1,035 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 23.1% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 183,153 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $44,600,000 after purchasing an additional 34,422 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 103,040 shares of the energy company's stock worth $25,092,000 after purchasing an additional 805 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 87.0% in the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 36,502 shares of the energy company's stock worth $8,889,000 after purchasing an additional 16,977 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on LNG. Bank of America upped 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. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $305.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $295.56.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Cheniere Energy news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total transaction of $6,473,141.08. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 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 ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Cheniere Energy Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock opened at $257.11 on Thursday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $186.20 and a 52-week high of $300.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.03 billion, a PE ratio of 10.58 and a beta of 0.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The company's fifty day moving average price is $256.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $224.55.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.90 by $6.78. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 26.68% and a return on equity of 32.04%. The company had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.48 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.33 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.31 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th were paid a dividend of $0.555 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.14%.

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

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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