Clark Capital Management Group Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Clark Capital Management Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 40.1% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 180,809 shares of the energy company’s stock after buying an additional 51,785 shares during the quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc.’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $42,487,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC increased its position in Cheniere Energy by 1.5% in the third quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 3,268 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $768,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 0.9% during the third 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 last quarter. 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 worth $162,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings 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 worth $350,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Titleist Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Titleist Asset Management LLC now owns 3,309 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $806,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

LNG stock opened at $252.44 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $53.06 billion, a PE ratio of 10.39 and a beta of 0.25. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $186.20 and a 12 month high of $259.24. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $218.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $217.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 26.68% and a return on equity of 32.04%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.33 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, February 26th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the energy company to buy up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th were issued a $0.555 dividend. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 9.14%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on LNG shares. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $254.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. UBS Group upped their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $277.00 to $301.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $282.00 to $271.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $283.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $264.39.

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.