Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) Shares Sold by Pinebridge Investments L.P.

Pinebridge Investments L.P. reduced its position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 23.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 55,475 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 16,542 shares during the period. Pinebridge Investments L.P.'s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $11,920,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of LNG. Dark Forest Capital Management LP raised its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 379.6% in the fourth quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP now owns 16,302 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $3,503,000 after acquiring an additional 12,903 shares in the last quarter. Quantessence Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,702,000. Aldebaran Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Aldebaran Financial Inc. now owns 5,442 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $1,159,000 after acquiring an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. Alpine Global Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $215,000. Finally, IHT Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 14.7% during the fourth quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,363 shares of the energy company's stock worth $1,152,000 after purchasing an additional 687 shares during the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on LNG shares. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Argus initiated coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $255.00 price target for the company. Scotiabank reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $195.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $248.00 to $254.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $245.15.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

LNG stock traded up $0.96 during trading on Friday, reaching $233.23. 1,169,657 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,882,865. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $153.03 and a 52-week high of $257.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.07. The company has a market cap of $51.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.39 and a beta of 0.67. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $221.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $216.52.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $1.59. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 20.71% and a return on equity of 37.19%. The business had revenue of $4.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.44 billion. As a group, analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 14.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cheniere Energy

In related news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.