United Capital Management of KS Inc. Sells 6,374 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• United Capital Management of KS Inc. cut its Cheniere Energy stake by 21.8% in the fourth quarter, selling 6,374 shares and leaving it with 22,883 shares worth about $4.45 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains constructive on Cheniere Energy, with several analysts raising price targets and the stock carrying an average “Moderate Buy” rating and $298.63 target price.
• Insiders and the company itself have been active: executives Sean N. Markowitz and Zach Davis sold shares, while Cheniere recently paid a quarterly dividend and authorized a $10 billion stock buyback plan.

United Capital Management of KS Inc. lessened its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 21.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,883 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 6,374 shares during the quarter. United Capital Management of KS Inc.'s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $4,448,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth $731,774,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted 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 purchasing an additional 414,022 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings 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 last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings 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 last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its holdings 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 last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $286.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $298.63.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Cheniere Energy news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total value of $6,473,141.08. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at $18,622,720. This trade represents a 25.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This represents a 24.97% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of LNG stock opened at $240.85 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $50.47 billion and a P/E ratio of 39.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $251.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $231.21. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a one year low of $186.20 and a one year 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) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.25 by ($20.90). The firm had revenue of $5.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.69 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 38.95%. The business's revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.57 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.93 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a $0.555 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. 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 36.51%.

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

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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