J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Decreases Stock Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG cut its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 10.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 5,708 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 681 shares during the period. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $1,226,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 10.3% during the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 460 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $99,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 2,339 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $503,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in Cheniere Energy by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 3,346 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $719,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. American Money Management LLC grew its stake in Cheniere Energy by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. American Money Management LLC now owns 10,987 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $2,361,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 2,822 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $606,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LNG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. TD Cowen upped their price target on Cheniere Energy from $242.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Mizuho upped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $248.00 to $254.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $195.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com raised shares of Cheniere Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Scotiabank reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $245.15.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Cheniere Energy news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now 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 SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.29% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Cheniere Energy Stock Up 3.0 %

NYSE:LNG opened at $230.11 on Wednesday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $153.03 and a 52 week high of $257.65. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $220.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $215.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.17 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $1.59. The firm had revenue of $4.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.44 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 37.19% and a net margin of 20.71%. Research analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.05%.

About Cheniere Energy

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.