Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Buys 40,601 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 257.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 56,385 shares of the energy company’s stock after purchasing an additional 40,601 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $13,725,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $957,425,000. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the second quarter valued at about $384,806,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its position in Cheniere Energy by 704.3% during the second quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 952,092 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $231,853,000 after purchasing an additional 833,723 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 33.1% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 2,031,767 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $470,151,000 after purchasing an additional 504,960 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 25.7% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,395,267 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $554,265,000 after purchasing an additional 488,994 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Trading Up 0.3%

Cheniere Energy stock opened at $189.32 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.94. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $186.20 and a fifty-two week high of $257.65. The stock has a market cap of $40.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.55, a PEG ratio of 4.62 and a beta of 0.26. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $211.43 and its 200-day moving average price is $227.12.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The energy company reported $4.75 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.75 by $2.00. The business had revenue of $4.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.87 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 21.12%.The firm’s revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.93 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 18th. Investors of record on Friday, November 7th were given a $0.555 dividend. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. This is a positive change from Cheniere Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 7th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.37%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on LNG shares. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Friday, September 19th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $268.00 price objective for the company. Mizuho increased their target price on Cheniere Energy from $268.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 29th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $274.00 to $271.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded Cheniere Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $268.47.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director W Benjamin Moreland bought 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 4th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $208.22 per share, for a total transaction of $1,041,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 9,856 shares in the company, valued at $2,052,216.32. This trade represents a 102.97% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Cheniere Energy Company Profile

Cheniere Energy, Inc, an energy infrastructure company, primarily engages in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) related businesses in the United States. It owns and operates the Sabine Pass LNG terminal in Cameron Parish, Louisiana; and the Corpus Christi LNG terminal near Corpus Christi, Texas. The company also owns Creole Trail pipeline, a 94-mile natural gas supply pipeline that interconnects the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal with several interstate and intrastate pipelines; and operates Corpus Christi pipeline, a 21.5-mile natural gas supply pipeline that interconnects the Corpus Christi LNG terminal with various interstate and intrastate natural gas pipelines.