Erste Asset Management GmbH Sells 52,790 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Erste Asset Management GmbH decreased its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 39.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 82,623 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 52,790 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $17,408,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of LNG. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $46,000. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Cheniere Energy

In other news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,143,800. This trade represents a 24.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total value of $6,473,141.08. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,622,720. This represents a 25.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.55% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

NYSE LNG opened at $236.61 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.58 billion and a PE ratio of 38.92. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $255.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $230.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.48. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 1-year low of $186.20 and a 1-year high of $300.89.

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

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

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Stockholders 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 of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on LNG. Barclays upped their price target on Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Bank of America upped 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. Jefferies Financial Group upped 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $298.63.

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.