Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Shares Purchased by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 4.9% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 631,700 shares of the energy company’s stock after purchasing an additional 29,400 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $179,251,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $335,000. Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 13.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 8,825 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,149,000 after purchasing an additional 1,035 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 23.1% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 183,153 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $44,600,000 after purchasing an additional 34,422 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 103,040 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $25,092,000 after purchasing an additional 805 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 87.0% during the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 36,502 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $8,889,000 after purchasing an additional 16,977 shares during the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LNG opened at $262.94 on Monday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $186.20 and a 52 week high of $300.89. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $241.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $239.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55. The firm has a market cap of $55.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.25 and a beta of -0.01.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a $0.555 dividend. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 36.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on LNG shares. Benchmark reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. 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 research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Cheniere Energy from $286.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $298.47.

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.