Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC Trims Stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 4.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 119,054 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 5,000 shares during the quarter. Cheniere Energy comprises 2.2% of Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $23,143,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of LNG. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $731,774,000. Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 555.0% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 810,138 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $157,483,000 after purchasing an additional 686,459 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 518.8% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 577,533 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $112,267,000 after purchasing an additional 484,198 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,219,557 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $4,124,870,000 after purchasing an additional 414,022 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 6.7% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,007,073 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $1,411,542,000 after purchasing an additional 377,369 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the 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 sale, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at $26,143,800. This represents a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $18,622,720. The trade was a 25.79% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE:LNG opened at $231.67 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $248.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $231.97. 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. The stock has a market cap of $48.55 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.10.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.25 by ($20.90). Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 38.95%. The firm had revenue of $5.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.69 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy announced that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, February 26th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the energy company to reacquire up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

LNG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Zacks Research cut shares of Cheniere Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Cheniere Energy from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $297.71.

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.