Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC Sells 5,000 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC cut its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 4.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 119,054 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 5,000 shares during the period. Cheniere Energy makes up 2.2% of Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC owned 0.06% of Cheniere Energy worth $23,143,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Interval Partners LP bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth $693,000. Investment Management Corp of Ontario lifted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 113.8% in the fourth quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 22,107 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $4,297,000 after purchasing an additional 11,768 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 24.0% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 119,625 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $23,253,000 after purchasing an additional 23,166 shares during the last quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 473.1% in the fourth quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 10,436 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,029,000 after purchasing an additional 8,615 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Evolve Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth $430,000. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at $18,622,720. The trade was a 25.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $8,700,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at $26,143,800. This represents a 24.97% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LNG opened at $231.67 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $48.55 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.10. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $248.29 and a 200-day moving average price of $231.97. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $186.20 and a 12 month high of $300.89.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $5.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.69 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 38.95%. The business’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.93 EPS for the current year.

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

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were given a dividend of $0.555 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is currently 36.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on LNG shares. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $296.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Benchmark reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $297.71.

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.