Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) is The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company's 8th Largest Position

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,681,846 shares of the energy company's stock after buying an additional 243,418 shares during the period. Cheniere Energy comprises about 1.1% of The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company's portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned 2.53% of Cheniere Energy worth $1,220,858,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 10.3% in the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 460 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $99,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 2,339 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $503,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 3,346 shares of the energy company's stock worth $719,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. American Money Management LLC boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. American Money Management LLC now owns 10,987 shares of the energy company's stock worth $2,361,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 2,822 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $606,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of LNG stock traded up $5.45 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $235.94. The company had a trading volume of 1,707,396 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,867,048. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $153.03 and a 12-month high of $257.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.07. The company has a market capitalization of $52.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.58 and a beta of 0.67. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $223.37 and a 200-day moving average of $217.91.

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

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on LNG. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $195.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Barclays increased their price target on Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. StockNews.com upgraded Cheniere Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Wolfe Research lowered Cheniere Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $254.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $251.46.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cheniere Energy

In other news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.51, for a total transaction of $1,975,590.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 33,934 shares in the company, valued at $7,448,852.34. This trade represents a 20.96 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Cheniere Energy

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.