Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Acquires 14,695 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 9.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 168,451 shares of the energy company’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,695 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.08% of Cheniere Energy worth $37,477,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 89.5% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 5,945 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,069,000 after buying an additional 2,808 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 48.4% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 2,290 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $412,000 after acquiring an additional 747 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1.9% during the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 9,345 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,681,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 27.9% in the third quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 3,805 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $684,000 after purchasing an additional 829 shares during the period. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund grew its stake in Cheniere Energy by 87.0% in the third quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 17,200 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $3,093,000 after purchasing an additional 8,000 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays lifted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $253.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $242.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $248.00 to $254.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $239.79.

Insider Transactions at Cheniere Energy

In related news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the director now owns 33,934 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,448,852.34. This represents a 20.96 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock opened at $226.16 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $223.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $210.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.89 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $152.88 and a 52 week high of $257.65.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $1.59. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 20.71% and a return on equity of 37.19%. The business had revenue of $4.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.44 billion. Sell-side analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.05%.

Cheniere Energy Company Profile

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.