Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Sells 24,135 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. reduced its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 71.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,474 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 24,135 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $1,842,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 481.1% in the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 163,011 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $31,688,000 after acquiring an additional 134,960 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 15.6% in the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 91,692 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $17,824,000 after purchasing an additional 12,353 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank lifted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 3,500 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $680,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Integrity Alliance LLC. purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $325,000. Finally, Cary Street Partners Financial LLC increased its stake in Cheniere Energy by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC now owns 3,623 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $704,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

NYSE LNG opened at $238.81 on Friday. 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 capitalization of $50.04 billion and a PE ratio of 39.28. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $256.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $230.19. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $186.20 and a 12-month high of $300.89.

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

Cheniere Energy announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, February 26th that permits the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the energy company to repurchase up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Cheniere Energy news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at $18,622,720. The trade was a 25.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of Cheniere Energy 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 owned 87,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,143,800. This trade represents a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on LNG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Benchmark reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. UBS Group set a $290.00 price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $298.63.

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.