MQS Management LLC Buys Shares of 2,728 Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

MQS Management LLC bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund bought 2,728 shares of the energy company’s stock, valued at approximately $530,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Ameriflex Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 7.3% during the third quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 688 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $162,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 3.3% during the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,488 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $350,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Quest Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 6.1% during the third quarter. Quest Investment Management LLC now owns 875 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $206,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Hardy Reed LLC raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2.3% during the third quarter. Hardy Reed LLC now owns 2,279 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $536,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, Keel Point LLC raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 5.2% during the third quarter. Keel Point LLC now owns 1,111 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $261,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE:LNG opened at $240.59 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.57. The company has a market cap of $50.42 billion, a PE ratio of 39.57 and a beta of 0.07. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $186.20 and a 52-week high of $300.89. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $263.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $228.55.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.25 by ($20.90). The firm had revenue of $5.87 billion for 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 quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.57 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 15.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

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

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $286.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $296.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $293.50.

Insider Transactions at Cheniere Energy

In related news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total transaction 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 approximately $18,622,720. This trade represents a 25.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed 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 value of $8,700,000.00. Following 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 currently 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.