Vanguard Group Inc. Buys 414,022 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• Vanguard Group increased its Cheniere Energy stake by 2.0% in Q4, buying 414,022 shares to hold 21,219,557 shares (about 9.86%), valued at roughly $4.12 billion.
• Cheniere reported a sizable earnings beat (Q EPS $10.68 vs. $3.90 estimate) with $5.45 billion revenue and a 26.7% net margin, and its board approved a $10.0 billion share repurchase program representing up to 21.1% of shares.
• Analysts are broadly positive — the consensus rating is Moderate Buy with an average target of $295.56, and several firms have recently raised price targets into the ~$300 range.

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 2.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 21,219,557 shares of the energy company's stock after acquiring an additional 414,022 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 9.86% of Cheniere Energy worth $4,124,870,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of LNG. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $142,688,000. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,007,073 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $1,411,542,000 after purchasing an additional 377,369 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 21.5% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,025,609 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $475,633,000 after purchasing an additional 359,123 shares during the last quarter. Railway Pension Investments Ltd increased its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 62.9% in the 3rd quarter. Railway Pension Investments Ltd now owns 777,200 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $182,626,000 after purchasing an additional 300,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP increased its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 53.7% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 816,028 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $191,750,000 after purchasing an additional 285,062 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LNG has been the topic of several recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Bank of America raised their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $296.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $286.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $338.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Wolfe Research set a $220.00 price objective on Cheniere Energy and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $295.56.

Cheniere Energy Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of LNG opened at $259.47 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $54.53 billion, a PE ratio of 10.68 and a beta of 0.14. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $186.20 and a 12 month high of $300.89. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $258.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $225.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.90 by $6.78. The firm had revenue of $5.45 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 32.04% and a net margin of 26.68%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.33 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 13.97 EPS for the current year.

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

Insider Activity

In other Cheniere Energy news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction dated 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 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at $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.

Cheniere Energy 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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