Clough Capital Partners L P Boosts Holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Clough Capital Partners L P boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 47,230 shares of the energy company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,680 shares during the period. Clough Capital Partners L P’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $11,098,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $957,425,000. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the third quarter valued at $142,688,000. Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $107,319,000. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 32.6% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,729,359 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $421,134,000 after buying an additional 425,106 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 21.5% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,025,609 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $475,633,000 after acquiring an additional 359,123 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of LNG opened at $252.44 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $53.06 billion, a PE ratio of 10.39 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $218.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $217.40. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $186.20 and a 12-month high of $259.24.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.90 by $6.78. The company had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 32.04% and a net margin of 26.68%.Cheniere Energy’s revenue was up 22.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $4.33 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th were given a dividend of $0.555 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is presently 9.14%.

Cheniere Energy declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Thursday, February 26th that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the energy company to buy up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on LNG. Morgan Stanley set a $236.00 price objective on Cheniere Energy and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $277.00 to $301.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $274.00 to $271.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Thursday, February 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $264.39.

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.