Arizona State Retirement System Has $12.07 Million Stock Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Arizona State Retirement System reduced its stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 4.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 62,068 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 2,734 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $12,065,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Childress Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,385 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,265,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 688 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $162,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,488 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $350,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Quest Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Quest Investment Management LLC now owns 875 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $206,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GRIMES & Co WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. GRIMES & Co WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC now owns 2,275 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $535,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $286.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Wolfe Research set a $220.00 price objective on Cheniere Energy and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on 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, sixteen have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $295.56.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock opened at $256.95 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $54.00 billion, a PE ratio of 10.57 and a beta of 0.14. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $186.20 and a 12 month high of $300.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $257.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $224.88.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.90 by $6.78. The business had revenue of $5.45 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 32.04% and a net margin of 26.68%.The firm’s revenue was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.33 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 13.97 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th were paid a $0.555 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.14%.

Cheniere Energy declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, February 26th that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the energy company to buy up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other Cheniere Energy news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $8,700,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,143,800. This trade represents a 24.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of Cheniere Energy 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at $18,622,720. This represents a 25.79% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

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.