Russell Investments Group Ltd. Sells 2,050 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Russell Investments Group Ltd. cut its position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 0.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 524,235 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 2,050 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $123,190,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 250.0% during the third quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 140 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 47.6% during the third quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 155 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Trading Down 1.8%

LNG opened at $250.68 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $214.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $216.93. The company has a market capitalization of $52.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.32 and a beta of 0.25. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $186.20 and a 52 week high of $259.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.90 by $6.78. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 32.04% and a net margin of 26.68%.The business had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.48 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $4.33 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Thursday, February 26th that permits the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the energy company to reacquire up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th were paid a dividend of $0.555 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.14%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on LNG shares. Bank of America reduced their price target on Cheniere Energy from $274.00 to $271.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Scotiabank upped their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $266.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on Cheniere Energy from $282.00 to $271.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $277.00 to $301.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, 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 report on Friday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $264.89.

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.