Principal Financial Group Inc. Cuts Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Principal Financial Group Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 11.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 16,069 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 2,132 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $3,718,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of LNG. REAP Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 150.0% during the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 125 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Nemes Rush Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2,022.2% during the fourth quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 191 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Tsfg LLC increased its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 676.0% in the first quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 194 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.93, for a total value of $1,057,499.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 29,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,312,236.69. The trade was a 12.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:LNG opened at $231.99 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.45 billion, a PE ratio of 16.97 and a beta of 0.42. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $167.66 and a 12-month high of $257.65. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $235.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $228.84.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The energy company reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.81 by ($1.24). Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 32.62% and a net margin of 18.37%. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.73 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.13 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 8th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.63%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on LNG shares. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $288.00 target price on Cheniere Energy and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. TD Cowen upped their price target on Cheniere Energy from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $262.00 price target (up previously from $253.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Cheniere Energy from $252.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $260.36.

Cheniere Energy 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.