Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Shares Bought by National Pension Service

National Pension Service raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 82.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 584,109 shares of the energy company’s stock after buying an additional 264,735 shares during the period. National Pension Service’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $142,248,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 27.6% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,304,253 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $301,804,000 after acquiring an additional 282,050 shares in the last quarter. Thompson Davis & CO. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $529,000. Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP grew its stake in Cheniere Energy by 7.6% during the 1st quarter. Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP now owns 1,494,901 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $345,920,000 after buying an additional 105,875 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 718.1% during the second quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,669 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $406,000 after acquiring an additional 1,465 shares during the period. Finally, Fractal Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 27.7% in the first quarter. Fractal Investments LLC now owns 75,585 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $17,490,000 after buying an additional 16,385 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of LNG stock opened at $213.77 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $46.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.48, a PEG ratio of 6.08 and a beta of 0.36. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $188.70 and a fifty-two week high of $257.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $225.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $232.06.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The energy company reported $4.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.75 by $2.00. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 37.83% and a net margin of 21.05%.The company had revenue of $4.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.87 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.93 EPS. Cheniere Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. This is a boost from Cheniere Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 7th. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is currently 12.37%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LNG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Mizuho raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $268.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Cheniere Energy from $267.00 to $284.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Cheniere Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Friday, September 19th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $268.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $268.73.

Insider Transactions at Cheniere Energy

In other Cheniere Energy news, Director W Benjamin Moreland bought 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 4th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $208.22 per share, with a total value of $1,041,100.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 9,856 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,052,216.32. The trade was a 102.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

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.