Korea Investment CORP Sells 22,049 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Korea Investment CORP lessened its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 9.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 205,209 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 22,049 shares during the quarter. Korea Investment CORP owned about 0.09% of Cheniere Energy worth $44,093,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 89.5% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 5,945 shares of the energy company's stock worth $1,069,000 after buying an additional 2,808 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 48.4% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 2,290 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $412,000 after acquiring an additional 747 shares during the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $268,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 9,345 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $1,681,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $169,000. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 0.3 %

Cheniere Energy stock traded down $0.80 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $230.60. The company had a trading volume of 1,450,443 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,817,525. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $152.88 and a fifty-two week high of $257.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.20 and a beta of 0.94. The firm's fifty day moving average is $222.74 and its 200-day moving average is $211.68.

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Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.74 by $1.59. The business had revenue of $4.44 billion for 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%. On average, research analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.87%. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio is 14.05%.

Insider Activity at Cheniere Energy

In other Cheniere Energy news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LNG has been the subject of several recent research reports. Scotiabank reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $277.00 price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. 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. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $195.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Argus assumed 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $239.79.

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.