Diversify Advisory Services LLC Boosts Stock Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Diversify Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 44.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,678 shares of the energy company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,058 shares during the quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $1,380,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LNG. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,007,073 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $1,411,542,000 after purchasing an additional 377,369 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 21.5% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,025,609 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $475,633,000 after buying an additional 359,123 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 5.6% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,786,636 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $419,824,000 after buying an additional 95,545 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2.8% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,776,978 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $417,554,000 after buying an additional 47,619 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 11.9% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 1,682,831 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $392,537,000 after acquiring an additional 178,316 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of LNG stock opened at $265.53 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $55.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.93 and a beta of 0.14. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $186.20 and a 52-week high of $300.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The company’s 50 day moving average is $249.40 and its 200 day moving average is $223.20.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.90 by $6.78. The company had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 32.04% and a net margin of 26.68%.Cheniere Energy’s revenue was up 22.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.33 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 6th were paid a dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 9.14%.

Cheniere Energy announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, February 26th that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the energy company to buy up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on LNG. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Cheniere Energy from $279.00 to $338.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 27th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Cheniere Energy from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $296.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $291.88.

Insider Transactions at Cheniere Energy

In other Cheniere Energy news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total value of $6,473,141.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,622,720. The trade was a 25.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $8,700,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,143,800. The trade was a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.26% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Cheniere Energy Profile

Cheniere Energy, Inc is a U.S.-based energy company that develops, owns and operates liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure and markets LNG to global customers. The company’s core activities include natural gas liquefaction, long‑term and short‑term LNG sales and marketing, and the associated midstream services required to move gas from production basins to international markets. Cheniere focuses on converting domestic natural gas into LNG for export, providing a bridge between North American supply and overseas demand.

Cheniere’s principal operating assets are large-scale LNG export terminals located on the U.S.