National Pension Service Lowers Holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN:LNG)

National Pension Service trimmed its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN:LNG – Get Rating) by 9.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 275,587 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 28,933 shares during the period. National Pension Service’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $45,282,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LNG. Capital World Investors purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the first quarter worth $391,652,000. BlackRock Inc. boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 15.0% during the third quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 20,678,479 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $3,430,767,000 after buying an additional 2,699,343 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1,795.5% during the second quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,545,865 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $338,676,000 after buying an additional 2,411,551 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 8.7% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 23,442,944 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $3,889,419,000 after buying an additional 1,869,480 shares during the period. Finally, TPG GP A LLC purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the third quarter worth $244,586,000. 84.25% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LNG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Raymond James decreased their target price on Cheniere Energy from $210.00 to $205.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 23rd. Cowen decreased their target price on Cheniere Energy from $195.00 to $185.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 20th. Scotiabank initiated coverage on Cheniere Energy in a report on Thursday, March 2nd. They issued a “sector outperform” rating and a $194.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Cheniere Energy from $236.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 7th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 24th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $201.62.

Insider Activity at Cheniere Energy

In related news, Director Vicky A. Bailey sold 2,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.50, for a total value of $382,050.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 33,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,791,473. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

LNG opened at $146.88 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $154.47. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a one year low of $120.09 and a one year high of $182.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.52 billion, a PE ratio of -9.62 and a beta of 1.00.

Cheniere Energy (NYSEAMERICAN:LNG – Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 23rd. The energy company reported $15.78 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.08 by $8.70. Cheniere Energy had a negative return on equity of 249.96% and a negative net margin of 12.40%. The business had revenue of $9.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($5.22) earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 42.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post -7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 7th were given a dividend of $0.395 per share. This represents a $1.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.08%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 6th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -10.35%.

Cheniere Energy Profile

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Cheniere Energy, Inc engages in liquefied natural gas (LNG) related businesses. It owns and operates LNG terminals, develops, constructs, and operates liquefaction projects near Corpus Christi, Texas, and at the Sabine Pass LNG terminal. The company was founded by Charif Souki in 1996 and is headquartered in Houston, TX.