189,880 Shares in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) Acquired by Clearbridge Investments LLC

Clearbridge Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 189,880 shares of the energy company's stock, valued at approximately $40,800,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned 0.08% of Cheniere Energy as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of LNG. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 89.5% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 5,945 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $1,069,000 after acquiring an additional 2,808 shares in the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 27.9% during the third quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 3,805 shares of the energy company's stock worth $684,000 after purchasing an additional 829 shares in the last quarter. Flow Traders U.S. LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the third quarter worth about $327,000. Hilltop Holdings Inc. grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 56.6% in the third quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 2,828 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $509,000 after buying an additional 1,022 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 159,519 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $28,670,000 after buying an additional 2,949 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on LNG. Argus began coverage on Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $255.00 price target for the company. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $277.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Scotiabank reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $242.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $248.00 to $254.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $239.79.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

LNG traded down $23.23 on Friday, hitting $196.84. 4,977,313 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,834,072. The firm has a market cap of $44.03 billion, a PE ratio of 13.83 and a beta of 0.67. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $221.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $212.44. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $152.88 and a twelve month high of $257.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $1.59. The business had revenue of $4.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.44 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 20.71% and a return on equity of 37.19%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.02%. Cheniere Energy's payout ratio is currently 14.05%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the director now directly owns 33,934 shares in the company, valued at $7,448,852.34. This trade represents a 20.96 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Cheniere Energy Company Profile

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.