New York Life Investment Management LLC Sells 15,784 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

New York Life Investment Management LLC trimmed its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 78.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,260 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 15,784 shares during the period. New York Life Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $727,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 203.4% during the third quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 176 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Rational Advisors LLC bought a new position in Cheniere Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $59,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth $80,000. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

LNG opened at $157.21 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $135.30 and a fifty-two week high of $183.46. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $157.93. The company has a market cap of $36.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.66 and a beta of 0.95.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 3rd. The energy company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by ($0.17). Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 48.95% and a net margin of 28.55%. The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $6.89 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 41.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 8.4 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be given a dividend of $0.435 per share. This represents a $1.74 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.11%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is presently 8.48%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on LNG shares. StockNews.com cut Cheniere Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Cheniere Energy from $185.00 to $178.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $223.00 to $206.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $162.00 target price for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $204.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $196.40.

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.