Royal Bank of Canada Reduces Stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Royal Bank of Canada lowered its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 16.1% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 2,847,918 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 545,236 shares during the quarter. Royal Bank of Canada’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $808,125,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of LNG. Trivium Point Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 38.8% during the fourth quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC now owns 56,930 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $11,067,000 after acquiring an additional 15,927 shares in the last quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG boosted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 227.7% in the 4th quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 15,505 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $3,014,000 after purchasing an additional 10,774 shares in the last quarter. Lewis Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 127.4% in the 4th quarter. Lewis Asset Management LLC now owns 8,751 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,701,000 after purchasing an additional 4,903 shares in the last quarter. Sovereign Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $1,472,000. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 17.2% during the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 76,812 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $14,930,000 after purchasing an additional 11,270 shares during the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:LNG opened at $252.43 on Wednesday. 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’s fifty day simple moving average is $244.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $243.20. The stock has a market cap of $52.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.52 and a beta of -0.01. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $186.20 and a twelve month high of $300.89.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.555 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 36.51%.

Cheniere Energy News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Cheniere Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Expansion milestone: Cheniere received approval to introduce natural gas into its final LNG expansion plant. This advances commissioning and supports the company’s longer-term growth in LNG production and exports. Cheniere gets approval to introduce natural gas into final LNG expansion plant
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend maintained: Cheniere declared a quarterly dividend of $0.555 per share, or approximately $2.22 annualized, payable August 18 to shareholders of record August 10. The roughly 0.9% yield provides a modest income return and signals continued shareholder distributions. Cheniere Declares Quarterly Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Constructive LNG backdrop: Coverage highlights strong global LNG export demand and Cheniere’s positioning to benefit from the broader natural-gas export boom. However, the company remains exposed to commodity prices, project execution and elevated leverage.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several other items focused on EQT, Expand Energy and Chevron rather than Cheniere and are unlikely to have a direct effect on LNG shares. The available news does not identify a specific negative development explaining the session’s weakness.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on LNG. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Cheniere Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $327.00 to $334.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $298.88.

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.