Strs Ohio Sells 16,560 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Strs Ohio lowered its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 7.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 191,975 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 16,560 shares during the period. Strs Ohio’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $45,110,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LNG. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $957,425,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp increased its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 704.3% during the 2nd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 952,092 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $231,853,000 after acquiring an additional 833,723 shares during the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $107,319,000. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 32.6% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,729,359 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $421,134,000 after purchasing an additional 425,106 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC boosted its position in Cheniere Energy by 22.5% during the second quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,663,035 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $404,982,000 after purchasing an additional 305,764 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LNG has been the topic of several research reports. Scotiabank reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $266.00 price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Friday, January 16th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $254.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Wolfe Research set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Cheniere Energy from $283.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $278.00 target price (up previously from $275.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Friday, October 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $265.59.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cheniere Energy

In related news, Director W Benjamin Moreland bought 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 4th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $208.22 per share, for a total transaction of $1,041,100.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 9,856 shares in the company, valued at $2,052,216.32. The trade was a 102.97% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

NYSE LNG opened at $207.35 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $199.48 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $219.20. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $186.20 and a 12-month high of $246.42. The company has a market capitalization of $44.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.55, a P/E/G ratio of 6.61 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The energy company reported $4.75 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.75 by $2.00. The company had revenue of $4.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.87 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 21.12% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.93 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Increases Dividend

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

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.