Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) Stock Holdings Increased by Argent Capital Management LLC

Argent Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 9.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,305 shares of the energy company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,363 shares during the quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC's holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $3,289,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $2,127,000. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $4,455,000. Continuum Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 42.1% during the 3rd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 12,919 shares of the energy company's stock worth $2,323,000 after purchasing an additional 3,828 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,324,360 shares of the energy company's stock worth $238,173,000 after purchasing an additional 37,729 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M&G PLC increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 21.0% during the 3rd quarter. M&G PLC now owns 268,834 shares of the energy company's stock worth $48,390,000 after purchasing an additional 46,602 shares during the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cheniere Energy Stock Up 3.2 %

Shares of NYSE LNG traded up $7.88 on Thursday, hitting $253.76. The company had a trading volume of 2,806,240 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,927,536. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $152.31 and a 12-month high of $254.20. The business has a 50 day moving average of $217.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $194.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.20 and a beta of 0.99.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The energy company reported $3.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.87 by $2.06. The firm had revenue of $3.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.76 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 41.44% and a net margin of 22.70%. Cheniere Energy's revenue for the quarter was down 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.37 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 12.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 12.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on LNG. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $201.00 to $217.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Cheniere Energy from $234.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Cheniere Energy from $204.00 to $237.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. UBS Group raised their target price on Cheniere Energy from $232.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Scotiabank began coverage on Cheniere Energy in a report on Friday, January 10th. They set a "sector outperform" rating and a $242.00 target price for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $231.18.

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.