Erste Asset Management GmbH boosted its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 21.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 113,503 shares of the energy company's stock after buying an additional 20,380 shares during the quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH owned approximately 0.05% of Cheniere Energy worth $24,388,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in Cheniere Energy by 3.2% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 5,438,428 shares of the energy company's stock worth $978,047,000 after buying an additional 167,575 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 195.1% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,200,456 shares of the energy company's stock worth $755,410,000 after acquiring an additional 2,776,920 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 91.4% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,747,370 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $673,927,000 after purchasing an additional 1,789,919 shares during the last quarter. Amundi boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 19.9% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 2,696,002 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $606,907,000 after purchasing an additional 448,189 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 11.0% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,793,989 shares of the energy company's stock worth $322,631,000 after purchasing an additional 178,318 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company's stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
LNG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Scotiabank reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $253.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $232.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $242.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $237.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $236.33.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on LNG
Cheniere Energy Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE LNG traded up $7.06 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $218.61. 1,585,717 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,756,020. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.36 and a beta of 0.94. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $224.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $207.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.07. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $152.88 and a 52 week high of $257.65.
Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.74 by $1.59. The firm had revenue of $4.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.44 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 20.71% and a return on equity of 37.19%. Sell-side analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current year.
Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.91%. Cheniere Energy's payout ratio is 14.05%.
Insider Transactions at Cheniere Energy
In other news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.51, for a total transaction of $1,975,590.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 33,934 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,448,852.34. The trade was a 20.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.29% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Cheniere Energy Company Profile
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Free Report)
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.
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