Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Shares Sold by California Public Employees Retirement System

California Public Employees Retirement System lessened its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 6.7% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 427,135 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 30,670 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $121,204,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Cheniere Energy by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,219,557 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $4,124,870,000 after acquiring an additional 414,022 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,174,695 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,200,299,000 after acquiring an additional 167,622 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $731,774,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 12.5% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,279,078 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $443,031,000 after purchasing an additional 253,469 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,263,826 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $440,047,000 after purchasing an additional 134,695 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Cheniere Energy stock opened at $262.94 on Friday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $186.20 and a 52-week high of $300.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.25 and a beta of -0.01. 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 fifty day moving average of $241.91 and a 200-day moving average of $239.52.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a dividend of $0.555 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is 36.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on LNG. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Scotiabank reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $271.00 to $274.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $298.47.

Cheniere Energy 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.