Plato Investment Management Ltd Boosts Holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Plato Investment Management Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 10,489.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,012 shares of the energy company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,993 shares during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $434,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LNG. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter worth $46,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in Cheniere Energy by 92.6% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 4,428 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $951,000 after buying an additional 2,129 shares in the last quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 209.5% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 876 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $188,000 after buying an additional 593 shares during the period. Bailard Inc. lifted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 6,663 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,432,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

NYSE:LNG opened at $220.39 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $49.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.49 and a beta of 0.98. The business’s 50-day moving average is $224.70 and its 200 day moving average is $205.82. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $152.31 and a 12 month high of $257.65.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $1.59. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 37.19% and a net margin of 20.71%. The business had revenue of $4.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.44 billion. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.91%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.05%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.51, for a total value of $1,975,590.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 33,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,448,852.34. This trade represents a 20.96 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on LNG. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $234.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $237.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Barclays increased their price target on Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $242.00 to $247.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $235.75.

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.