Prospera Financial Services Inc Buys 2,389 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Prospera Financial Services Inc raised its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 36.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 8,876 shares of the energy company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,389 shares during the quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $1,726,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in LNG. Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd increased its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd now owns 21,710 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $4,220,000 after buying an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $405,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 25,532 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $4,963,000 after buying an additional 2,509 shares in the last quarter. MQS Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $530,000. Finally, Legato Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $636,000. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup raised their target price on Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Scotiabank restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Zacks Research upgraded Cheniere Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $293.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total transaction of $6,473,141.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,622,720. The trade was a 25.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $8,700,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,143,800. The trade was a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of LNG stock opened at $230.96 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $262.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $229.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55. The firm has a market cap of $48.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.99 and a beta of 0.07. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $186.20 and a 12 month high of $300.89.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.25 by ($20.90). The firm had revenue of $5.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.69 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 38.95% and a net margin of 7.23%.Cheniere Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.57 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 15.2 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were given a dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is presently 36.51%.

Cheniere Energy declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, February 26th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the energy company to purchase up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

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.