Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) Shares Sold by Candriam S.C.A.

Candriam S.C.A. lowered its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 0.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 25,330 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 98 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $5,443,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,127,000. Fractal Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 31.0% in the fourth quarter. Fractal Investments LLC now owns 59,200 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $12,720,000 after buying an additional 14,000 shares during the period. Anderson Hoagland & Co. acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $2,460,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 31.4% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 36,664 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $7,812,000 after buying an additional 8,756 shares during the period. Finally, Insight Wealth Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $4,455,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cheniere Energy

In other Cheniere Energy news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 33,934 shares in the company, valued at $7,448,852.34. The trade was a 20.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on LNG shares. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $232.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $195.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $234.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $247.00 to $254.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $236.33.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

NYSE LNG opened at $220.57 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.33 billion, a PE ratio of 15.50 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $225.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $206.37. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $152.88 and a 12-month high of $257.65.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last posted its 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 firm had revenue of $4.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.44 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 20.71% and a return on equity of 37.19%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.05%.

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.