Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) Shares Sold by TIAA Trust National Association

TIAA Trust National Association lessened its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 16.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,485 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 283 shares during the period. TIAA Trust National Association’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $240,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in LNG. Xcel Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Xcel Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,961 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $335,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Keene & Associates Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 3.8% in the first quarter. Keene & Associates Inc. now owns 1,798 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $290,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Simon Quick Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 2,182 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $373,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. E&G Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 5.2% in the first quarter. E&G Advisors LP now owns 1,420 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $229,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, Syon Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 1,618 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $276,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of LNG traded down $0.64 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $181.29. The company had a trading volume of 587,812 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,910,232. The business has a 50-day moving average of $165.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 1-year low of $152.31 and a 1-year high of $184.62. The company has a market cap of $41.50 billion, a PE ratio of 8.86 and a beta of 0.96.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released its earnings results on Friday, May 3rd. The energy company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.30 by ($0.17). Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 48.19% and a net margin of 28.55%. The company had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.89 earnings per share. Cheniere Energy’s revenue was down 41.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 8.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Monday, June 17th that allows the company to buyback $4.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the energy company to purchase up to 9.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 9th will be given a dividend of $0.435 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 9th. This represents a $1.74 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.96%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.48%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on LNG. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $223.00 to $206.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $178.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 17th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $162.00 target price for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $204.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $199.09.

About Cheniere Energy

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.