Generate Investment Management Ltd Reduces Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Generate Investment Management Ltd lowered its stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 27.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 40,000 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 15,000 shares during the period. Generate Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $11,350,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in LNG. Strive Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Sankala Group LLC purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Cheniere Energy

In related news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, March 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $8,700,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This trade represents a 24.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total transaction of $6,473,141.08. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at $18,622,720. This represents a 25.79% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on LNG. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $286.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $283.00 price target for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $297.71.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

NYSE:LNG opened at $230.83 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $186.20 and a 52 week high of $300.89. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $245.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $232.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.37 billion and a PE ratio of 37.97.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.25 by ($20.90). The business had revenue of $5.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.69 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 38.95% and a net margin of 7.23%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.57 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, February 26th that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the energy company to reacquire up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were given a $0.555 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is 36.51%.

About Cheniere Energy

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.