Cynosure Group LLC Increases Stock Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Cynosure Group LLC raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 150.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,311 shares of the energy company’s stock after buying an additional 2,590 shares during the period. Cynosure Group LLC’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $838,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LNG. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $731,774,000. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its position in Cheniere Energy by 555.0% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 810,138 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $157,483,000 after buying an additional 686,459 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its position in Cheniere Energy by 518.8% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 577,533 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $112,267,000 after buying an additional 484,198 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Cheniere Energy by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,219,557 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $4,124,870,000 after buying an additional 414,022 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,007,073 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $1,411,542,000 after purchasing an additional 377,369 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on LNG shares. Scotiabank restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Benchmark restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. UBS Group set a $290.00 price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $298.63.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 2.6%

Shares of NYSE LNG opened at $234.89 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $186.20 and a 12 month high of $300.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.22 billion and a PE ratio of 38.63. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $250.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $231.61.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.25 by ($20.90). The business had revenue of $5.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.69 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 38.95% and a net margin of 7.23%.The firm’s revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.57 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a $0.555 dividend. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.51%.

Cheniere Energy announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, February 26th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the energy company to purchase up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total value of $6,473,141.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at $18,622,720. This trade represents a 25.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $8,700,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,143,800. The trade was a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.55% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Cheniere Energy Company 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.