Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 9.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 241,202 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 24,557 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $51,019,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Havemeyer Place LP purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,193,000. 111 Capital boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. 111 Capital now owns 3,603 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $700,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares during the period. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 32,794 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $6,375,000 after acquiring an additional 1,287 shares during the period. Pinebridge Investments LLC purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $785,000. Finally, Arsenal Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $296,000. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LNG has been the subject of several recent research reports. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on 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, Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $298.63.

Insider Activity at Cheniere Energy

In related news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 26th. The stock was 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 30th. The stock was 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. The trade was 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 LNG opened at $238.81 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $256.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $230.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.04 billion and a PE ratio of 39.28. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 1 year low of $186.20 and a 1 year high of $300.89.

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

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a dividend of $0.555 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is presently 36.51%.

Cheniere Energy announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, February 26th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the energy company to reacquire up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.