Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Shares Sold by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank lowered its position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 5.2% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 639,300 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 35,200 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $150,223,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 0.6% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,687,388 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,141,473,000 after buying an additional 26,843 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $957,425,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Cheniere Energy by 1.9% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,874,796 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $940,578,000 after buying an additional 70,475 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Cheniere Energy by 21.5% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,025,609 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $475,633,000 after buying an additional 359,123 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 0.5% in the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 1,845,285 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $449,364,000 after acquiring an additional 8,740 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Trading Down 1.8%

LNG opened at $250.68 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.32 and a beta of 0.25. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $214.46 and its 200-day moving average is $216.93. 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 announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.90 by $6.78. The business had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 26.68% and a return on equity of 32.04%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.33 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Cheniere Energy announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, February 26th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the energy company to purchase up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on LNG shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. 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 report on Friday, February 27th. Wolfe Research set a $220.00 price target on Cheniere Energy and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $254.00 price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $264.89.

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.