Legato Capital Management LLC Acquires New Shares in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Legato Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 3,271 shares of the energy company’s stock, valued at approximately $636,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its stake in Cheniere Energy by 250.0% in 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 last quarter. Finally, AXS Investments LLC purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy in the third quarter valued at about $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Cheniere Energy

In other Cheniere Energy news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total value of $6,473,141.08. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,622,720. This represents a 25.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This represents a 24.97% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on LNG shares. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $286.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Cheniere Energy from $338.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $293.50.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LNG opened at $234.54 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $262.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $229.12. The firm has a market cap of $49.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.58 and a beta of 0.07. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $186.20 and a 52 week high of $300.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.25 by ($20.90). The firm had revenue of $5.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.69 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 38.95%. Cheniere Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 15.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, February 26th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding 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 often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were given a $0.555 dividend. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.51%.

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.