Russell Investments Group Ltd. Sells 117,241 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. reduced its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 14.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 709,409 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 117,241 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $152,411,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in LNG. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 170.5% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 119 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. WR Wealth Planners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 373.1% in the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 123 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Nemes Rush Group LLC boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 2,022.2% in the 4th quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 191 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Adirondack Trust Co. bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $43,000. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.51, for a total transaction of $1,975,590.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 33,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,448,852.34. This trade represents a 20.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on LNG shares. Argus began coverage on Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $255.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of Cheniere Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $277.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $248.00 to $254.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Scotiabank restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $239.79.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of LNG stock opened at $196.84 on Friday. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $152.88 and a 12 month high of $257.65. The firm has a market cap of $44.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.83 and a beta of 0.67. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $221.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $212.00.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $1.59. The company had revenue of $4.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.44 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 20.71% and a return on equity of 37.19%. Research analysts expect 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.02%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.