Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Buys 1,359 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 13.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,765 shares of the energy company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,359 shares during the quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $2,722,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LNG. Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 7.6% during the first quarter. Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP now owns 1,494,901 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $345,920,000 after buying an additional 105,875 shares in the last quarter. Fractal Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 27.7% during the first quarter. Fractal Investments LLC now owns 75,585 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $17,490,000 after buying an additional 16,385 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 7.5% during the first quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 23,505 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $5,439,000 after buying an additional 1,630 shares in the last quarter. Martin Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 615.4% during the fourth quarter. Martin Investment Management LLC now owns 28,223 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $6,064,000 after buying an additional 24,278 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 37,378 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $8,032,000 after buying an additional 1,359 shares in the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was 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 owned 29,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,312,236.69. This represents a 12.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Cheniere Energy stock opened at $235.13 on Wednesday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $167.66 and a 12-month high of $257.65. 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 business’s 50-day moving average price is $234.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $229.30. The stock has a market cap of $52.15 billion, a PE ratio of 17.20 and a beta of 0.42.

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

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 8th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.63%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $262.00 target price (up previously from $253.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $288.00 price target on Cheniere Energy and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Wolfe Research downgraded Cheniere Energy from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $267.00 price target on Cheniere Energy and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $260.36.

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.