Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp Cuts Stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp lessened its stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 15,430 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 155 shares during the quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $3,316,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 26.8% during the 3rd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 14,800 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $2,662,000 after purchasing an additional 3,124 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $333,000. iA Global Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $868,000. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC raised its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 14,062 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,529,000 after acquiring an additional 470 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 16.0% during the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 48,124 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $8,655,000 after acquiring an additional 6,640 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Up 2.2 %

Shares of LNG opened at $201.63 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $221.34 and a 200-day moving average price of $212.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.17 and a beta of 0.67. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $152.88 and a 12-month high of $257.65.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $1.59. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 20.71% and a return on equity of 37.19%. The business had revenue of $4.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.44 billion. Equities research analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.99%. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is currently 14.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on LNG shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $234.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $237.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Argus began coverage on Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $255.00 price target for the company. Mizuho upped their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $248.00 to $254.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $239.79.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cheniere Energy

In related news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was 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 SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.