Hsbc Holdings PLC Has $206 Million Stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 36.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,059,970 shares of the energy company’s stock after purchasing an additional 281,504 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $205,997,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $731,774,000. Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 555.0% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 810,138 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $157,483,000 after acquiring an additional 686,459 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 518.8% during the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 577,533 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $112,267,000 after acquiring an additional 484,198 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,219,557 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $4,124,870,000 after acquiring an additional 414,022 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 3,902.4% during the fourth quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 389,676 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $75,749,000 after acquiring an additional 379,940 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Cheniere Energy

In other news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,622,720. This trade represents a 25.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,143,800. The trade was a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Cheniere Energy Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock opened at $227.25 on Friday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $186.20 and a 52-week high of $300.89. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $246.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $232.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.62 billion and a P/E ratio of 37.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.57.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.25 by ($20.90). The business 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%.Cheniere Energy’s revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.93 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, February 26th that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the energy company to buy up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

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 dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LNG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Scotiabank reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Citigroup raised their target price on Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $297.71.

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.