Van ECK Associates Corp Acquires 4,829 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 5.3% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 96,544 shares of the energy company’s stock after buying an additional 4,829 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $22,685,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 140 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the second quarter valued at about $34,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. increased its position 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 valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Cheniere Energy from $283.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Cheniere Energy from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $282.00 to $271.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $254.00 target price on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $264.89.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock opened at $250.30 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $216.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $217.23. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $186.20 and a twelve month high of $259.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.30 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last announced its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $5.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 26.68% and a return on equity of 32.04%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.33 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 6th were given a dividend of $0.555 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, February 26th that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the energy company to reacquire up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.