Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 107,546 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Vanguard Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 20,805,535 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 107,546 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 0.10% of Cheniere Energy worth $4,888,885,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 473.7% during the second quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 109 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 250.0% during the third quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 140 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the second quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 47.6% in the third quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 155 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LNG opened at $218.73 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $47.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.19 and a beta of 0.27. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $201.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $216.71. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $186.20 and a fifty-two week high of $246.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.94.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th will be given a dividend of $0.555 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 6th. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.37%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on LNG. Bank of America lowered their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $274.00 to $271.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $283.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 12th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $262.00 to $259.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $275.00 price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $251.00 target price on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Sunday, January 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $264.24.

Cheniere Energy Company 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.