Qsemble Capital Management LP Grows Stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Qsemble Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 87.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 67,296 shares of the energy company’s stock after buying an additional 31,391 shares during the period. Cheniere Energy makes up 1.1% of Qsemble Capital Management LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its largest position. Qsemble Capital Management LP’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $13,082,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Viking Fund Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 66.7% during the 4th quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 45,000 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $8,748,000 after buying an additional 18,000 shares during the period. Trivium Point Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 38.8% during the 4th quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC now owns 56,930 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $11,067,000 after buying an additional 15,927 shares during the period. M&G PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 49.6% during the 3rd quarter. M&G PLC now owns 556,285 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $130,727,000 after buying an additional 184,520 shares during the period. Waverton Investment Management Ltd raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 35.3% in the 3rd quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd now owns 196,819 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $46,244,000 after purchasing an additional 51,326 shares during the period. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,460,762 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $343,250,000 after purchasing an additional 163,861 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of LNG stock opened at $241.77 on Friday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $186.20 and a 12-month high of $300.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $264.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $227.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.76 and a beta of 0.07.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.25 by ($20.90). The company had revenue of $5.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.69 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 38.95% and a net margin of 7.23%.The company’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 15.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th will be given a $0.555 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 11th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.51%.

Cheniere Energy declared that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, February 26th that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the energy company to buy up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on LNG. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Cheniere Energy from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, UBS Group set a $290.00 price target on Cheniere Energy in a research note on Wednesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $293.50.

Insider Activity

In related 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 value of $6,473,141.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,622,720. This trade represents a 25.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This represents a 24.97% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

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.