Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Shares Sold by Pointe Capital Management LLC

Pointe Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 56.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,872 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 3,758 shares during the period. Pointe Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $558,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in LNG. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

LNG stock opened at $230.67 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.57. The stock has a market cap of $48.34 billion and a P/E ratio of 37.94. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $249.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $231.79. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $186.20 and a 52 week high of $300.89.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.25 by ($20.90). The company had revenue of $5.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.69 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 38.95% and a net margin of 7.23%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.57 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.51%.

Cheniere Energy announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, February 26th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the energy company to repurchase up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on LNG. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Cheniere Energy from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $297.71.

Insider Activity at Cheniere Energy

In related news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $8,700,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This trade represents a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $6,473,141.08. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 64,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,622,720. This represents a 25.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

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.