Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado Sells 1,535 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado reduced its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 4.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,614 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 1,535 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado's holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $6,578,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Aldebaran Financial Inc. increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 26.1% during the 3rd quarter. Aldebaran Financial Inc. now owns 5,195 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $934,000 after purchasing an additional 1,076 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $225,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $159,000. Castellan Group purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the third quarter worth $5,515,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 75.3% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 533 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $115,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Cheniere Energy

In related news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.51, for a total value of $1,975,590.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 33,934 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,448,852.34. The trade was a 20.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LNG traded up $5.45 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $235.94. The stock had a trading volume of 1,707,396 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,858,646. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.07. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $153.03 and a 12-month high of $257.65. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $223.37 and a 200-day moving average of $218.16. The company has a market capitalization of $52.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.58 and a beta of 0.67.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.74 by $1.59. The company had revenue of $4.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.44 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 20.71% and a return on equity of 37.19%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 14.05%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on LNG. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Barclays lifted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $253.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Mizuho increased their target price on Cheniere Energy from $248.00 to $254.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $252.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Argus started coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. They set a "buy" rating and a $255.00 price objective on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $251.46.

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.