NFJ Investment Group LLC Invests $2.65 Million in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

NFJ Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 13,614 shares of the energy company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,646,000.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Viking Fund Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 66.7% in the 4th quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 45,000 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $8,748,000 after acquiring an additional 18,000 shares during the period. Trivium Point Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 38.8% in the 4th quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC now owns 56,930 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $11,067,000 after acquiring an additional 15,927 shares during the period. M&G PLC lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 49.6% in the 3rd quarter. M&G PLC now owns 556,285 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $130,727,000 after acquiring an additional 184,520 shares during the period. Waverton Investment Management Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 35.3% in the 3rd quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd now owns 196,819 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $46,244,000 after acquiring an additional 51,326 shares during the period. Finally, J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 227.7% in the 4th quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 15,505 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $3,014,000 after acquiring an additional 10,774 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 0.2%

Cheniere Energy stock opened at $240.85 on Monday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $186.20 and a twelve month high of $300.89. 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 firm has a market cap of $50.47 billion and a PE ratio of 39.61. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $251.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $231.40.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released its earnings results 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). Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 38.95% and a net margin of 7.23%.The company had revenue of $5.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.69 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 stock buyback program 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 programs are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

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. 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 currently 36.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cheniere Energy

In related news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This represents a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Cheniere Energy from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Scotiabank reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $296.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $298.63.

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.