Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Shares Acquired by Allianz Asset Management GmbH

Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 12.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,460,762 shares of the energy company’s stock after buying an additional 163,861 shares during the quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $343,250,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 0.6% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,687,388 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,141,473,000 after purchasing an additional 26,843 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $957,425,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,874,796 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $940,578,000 after buying an additional 70,475 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc increased its stake in Cheniere Energy by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,990,748 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $484,787,000 after buying an additional 28,742 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its position in Cheniere Energy by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 1,845,285 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $449,364,000 after buying an additional 8,740 shares during the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on LNG. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $275.00 target price on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $254.00 target price on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $251.00 price target on Cheniere Energy in a research note on Sunday, January 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $264.24.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

LNG stock opened at $207.86 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $199.38 and a 200-day moving average of $217.85. The company has a market cap of $44.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.58, a PEG ratio of 6.60 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $186.20 and a 12-month high of $246.42.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th will be given a dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 6th. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is presently 12.37%.

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.