Cheniere Energy Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:LNG)

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) saw unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Stock investors purchased 6,119 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 92% compared to the typical volume of 3,181 call options.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock traded down $3.40 on Tuesday, reaching $203.31. 1,335,923 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,038,233. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market cap of $43.76 billion, a PE ratio of 11.33, a P/E/G ratio of 6.64 and a beta of 0.26. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $200.09 and its 200-day moving average is $219.85. Cheniere Energy has a one year low of $186.20 and a one year high of $254.53.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released its earnings results 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 37.52% and a net margin of 21.12%.The firm had revenue of $4.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.87 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.93 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy will post 11.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 7th were given a $0.555 dividend. This is a boost from Cheniere Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 7th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.37%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LNG has been the subject of a number of research reports. Erste Group Bank downgraded Cheniere Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Cheniere Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $254.00 price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $284.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $265.59.

Insider Activity at Cheniere Energy

In other news, Director W Benjamin Moreland bought 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 4th. The shares were bought at an average price of $208.22 per share, for a total transaction of $1,041,100.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 9,856 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,052,216.32. This trade represents a 102.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Altman Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Altman Advisors Inc. now owns 10,206 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $2,409,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1.5% in the third quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 3,268 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $768,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. Childress Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 0.9% in the third quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,385 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,265,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 7.3% in the third 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 last quarter. Finally, Howard Capital Management Inc. increased 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 purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Company Profile

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.