Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Shares Sold by Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC

Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 19.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 23,629 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 5,771 shares during the period. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $4,593,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the third quarter worth $25,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 250.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 140 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 47.6% in the 3rd quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 155 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This trade represents a 24.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 64,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,622,720. This trade represents a 25.79% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of LNG opened at $265.55 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $248.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $223.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.80 billion, a PE ratio of 10.93 and a beta of 0.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $186.20 and a 52-week high of $300.89.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.90 by $6.78. The firm had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 26.68% and a return on equity of 32.04%. Cheniere Energy’s revenue was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.33 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, February 26th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 billion in 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 an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th were given a dividend of $0.555 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LNG has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased 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. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Cheniere Energy from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $266.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $296.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $291.88.

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.