Investors Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG)

Key Points

• Cheniere Energy saw unusual options activity on Monday, with traders buying 15,303 call options, about 79% above its average call volume.
• Analyst sentiment remains mostly positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $297.71, though there have been a few recent downgrades.
• The stock rose on the day to $262.92, and the company also recently paid a quarterly dividend of $0.555 per share, reflecting a 0.8% annualized yield.

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Monday. Stock traders acquired 15,303 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 79% compared to the average volume of 8,527 call options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup lifted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Cheniere Energy from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Zacks Research cut Cheniere Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Cheniere Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $297.71.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LNG traded up $4.28 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $262.92. The stock had a trading volume of 404,099 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,565,085. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $241.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $237.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.20 and a beta of -0.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.57. Cheniere Energy has a 1-year low of $186.20 and a 1-year high of $300.89.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were given a $0.555 dividend. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.51%.

Institutional Trading of Cheniere Energy

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $335,000. Bank of Nova Scotia raised its position in Cheniere Energy by 13.3% in the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 8,825 shares of the energy company's stock worth $2,149,000 after acquiring an additional 1,035 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted 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 acquiring an additional 34,422 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its holdings 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 valued at $25,092,000 after acquiring an additional 805 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 87.0% during the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 36,502 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $8,889,000 after purchasing an additional 16,977 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company's stock.

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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