Trust Co. of Vermont Raises Stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Trust Co. of Vermont increased its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 81.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 17,881 shares of the energy company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,033 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont's holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $3,842,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 195.1% during the third 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 increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 91.4% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,747,370 shares of the energy company's stock worth $673,927,000 after purchasing an additional 1,789,919 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its position in Cheniere Energy by 328.2% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 894,600 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $160,885,000 after purchasing an additional 685,662 shares in the last quarter. Darlington Partners Capital Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 74.6% in the 2nd quarter. Darlington Partners Capital Management LP now owns 1,514,155 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $264,720,000 after buying an additional 647,096 shares during the period. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 8.5% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 5,270,853 shares of the energy company's stock worth $921,503,000 after buying an additional 413,744 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LNG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Cheniere Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $215.00 target price on the stock. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $242.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Scotiabank began coverage on Cheniere Energy in a report on Friday, January 10th. They issued a "sector outperform" rating and a $242.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $201.00 to $217.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $231.18.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:LNG traded down $0.96 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $252.70. 2,454,749 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,232,545. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 1-year low of $152.31 and a 1-year high of $257.65. 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 $56.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.14 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a 50-day moving average of $219.76 and a 200 day moving average of $195.63.

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

Cheniere Energy Cuts Dividend

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

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.