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

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Monday. Investors purchased 15,303 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 79% compared to the typical daily volume of 8,527 call options.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LNG opened at $263.22 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $241.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $237.88. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $55.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.29 and a beta of -0.01. Cheniere Energy has a 52 week low of $186.20 and a 52 week high of $300.89.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a $0.555 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.51%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $731,774,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 174.3% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,244,268 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $636,834,000 after buying an additional 1,426,058 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 555.0% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 810,138 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $157,483,000 after buying an additional 686,459 shares in the last quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 6,513.7% during the first quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 564,742 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $160,251,000 after buying an additional 556,203 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 518.8% during the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 577,533 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $112,267,000 after buying an additional 484,198 shares during the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Zacks Research lowered shares of Cheniere Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Benchmark reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Scotiabank reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $297.71.

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.