Victory Capital Management Inc. Acquires 2,768 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 2.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 113,635 shares of the energy company's stock after buying an additional 2,768 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned about 0.05% of Cheniere Energy worth $20,436,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 215.7% in the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 62,551 shares of the energy company's stock worth $10,936,000 after purchasing an additional 42,737 shares during the period. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC bought a new position in Cheniere Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $818,000. M&G PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 21.0% during the 3rd quarter. M&G PLC now owns 268,834 shares of the energy company's stock worth $48,390,000 after acquiring an additional 46,602 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 897.7% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 74,599 shares of the energy company's stock worth $12,031,000 after acquiring an additional 67,122 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP increased its stake in Cheniere Energy by 29.1% in the third quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 18,668 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $3,357,000 after acquiring an additional 4,212 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on LNG shares. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Cheniere Energy from $201.00 to $217.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays raised their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $199.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $215.00 target price for the company. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $192.00 to $202.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $208.00 to $204.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $208.44.

Cheniere Energy Trading Up 2.5 %

NYSE:LNG traded up $5.43 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $220.18. 2,162,656 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,783,656. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.72 and a beta of 0.94. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a one year low of $152.31 and a one year high of $220.30. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $188.37 and a 200 day simple moving average of $177.06. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $3.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.76 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.37 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.77%.

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.