VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Acquires New Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 29,800 shares of the energy company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,122,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in LNG. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $335,000. Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 13.3% during the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 8,825 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,149,000 after buying an additional 1,035 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 23.1% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 183,153 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $44,600,000 after buying an additional 34,422 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 103,040 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $25,092,000 after buying an additional 805 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 87.0% in the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 36,502 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $8,889,000 after buying an additional 16,977 shares in the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

NYSE LNG opened at $276.13 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $267.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $256.94. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.97. The stock has a market cap of $57.03 billion and a PE ratio of 20.56. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $186.20 and a twelve month high of $300.89.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The energy company reported $3.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.11 by ($0.09). Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 13.57% and a return on equity of 29.80%. The company had revenue of $5.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.92 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $7.30 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 23.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 16.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th were given a dividend of $0.555 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.53%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. 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 report on Friday, July 24th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Argus set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Scotiabank restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $283.00 target price on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $304.35.

Cheniere Energy Company Profile

Cheniere Energy, Inc is a Houston-based energy company focused on the production, liquefaction, transportation and export of liquefied natural gas (LNG). The company purchases natural gas and processes it at its liquefaction facilities before shipping LNG to customers in international markets. Cheniere also provides natural gas pipeline, storage and other services that support its LNG operations.

Cheniere operates the Sabine Pass LNG facility in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, and the Corpus Christi LNG facility in South Texas.