GSA Capital Partners LLP Grows Stock Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

GSA Capital Partners LLP lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 1,855.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 23,812 shares of the energy company’s stock after purchasing an additional 22,594 shares during the quarter. Cheniere Energy makes up 0.4% of GSA Capital Partners LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. GSA Capital Partners LLP’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $4,629,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in LNG. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $335,000. Bank of Nova Scotia increased its stake in Cheniere Energy by 13.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 8,825 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,149,000 after acquiring an additional 1,035 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in Cheniere Energy by 23.1% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 183,153 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $44,600,000 after acquiring an additional 34,422 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its stake in Cheniere Energy by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 103,040 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $25,092,000 after acquiring an additional 805 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC increased its stake in Cheniere Energy by 87.0% in the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 36,502 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $8,889,000 after acquiring an additional 16,977 shares during the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on LNG shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Weiss Ratings lowered Cheniere Energy from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Barclays upped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $286.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $293.50.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 30th. The stock was 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 $26,143,800. This represents a 24.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 26th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $18,622,720. This represents a 25.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

LNG opened at $248.06 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $264.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $227.78. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $186.20 and a 12-month high of $300.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.80 and a beta of 0.07.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $5.69 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 38.95%. The company’s revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 15.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.555 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 11th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.51%.

Cheniere Energy announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, February 26th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the energy company to purchase 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 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.