Sapient Capital LLC Makes New $1.28 Million Investment in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Sapient Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 7,516 shares of the energy company's stock, valued at approximately $1,283,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 203.4% during the 3rd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 176 shares of the energy company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 1.4 %

LNG traded down $2.16 on Friday, hitting $156.69. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,875,388 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,903,212. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $159.18. The stock has a market cap of $36.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.94. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $135.30 and a 12 month high of $183.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 22nd. The energy company reported $5.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.70 by $3.06. The company had revenue of $4.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.37 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 48.45% and a return on equity of 69.52%. Cheniere Energy's revenue for the quarter was down 46.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $15.78 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 8.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 6th were issued a $0.435 dividend. This represents a $1.74 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.11%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 5th. Cheniere Energy's payout ratio is 4.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on LNG shares. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $192.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $187.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, December 15th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Cheniere Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $185.00 to $178.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $196.78.

Cheniere Energy Company Profile

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.