4,233 Shares in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Purchased by Twin Capital Management Inc.

Twin Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 4,233 shares of the energy company’s stock, valued at approximately $823,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ameriflex Group Inc. lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 688 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $162,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,488 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $350,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Quest Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. Quest Investment Management LLC now owns 875 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $206,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Hardy Reed LLC lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Hardy Reed LLC now owns 2,279 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $536,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, Keel Point LLC lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Keel Point LLC now owns 1,111 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $261,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Cheniere Energy news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $8,700,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This represents a 24.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total transaction of $6,473,141.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at $18,622,720. This represents a 25.79% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LNG has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group set a $290.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $338.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $293.50.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

LNG opened at $240.93 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.63 and a beta of 0.07. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $263.61 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $228.46. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $186.20 and a 52-week high of $300.89.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.25 by ($20.90). The company had revenue of $5.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.69 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 38.95%. Cheniere Energy’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.57 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 15.2 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, February 26th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the energy company to buy up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a dividend of $0.555 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.51%.

About Cheniere Energy

Cheniere Energy, Inc is a U.S.-based energy company that develops, owns and operates liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure and markets LNG to global customers. The company’s core activities include natural gas liquefaction, long‑term and short‑term LNG sales and marketing, and the associated midstream services required to move gas from production basins to international markets. Cheniere focuses on converting domestic natural gas into LNG for export, providing a bridge between North American supply and overseas demand.

Cheniere’s principal operating assets are large-scale LNG export terminals located on the U.S.