2,084 Shares in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Bought by Strategic Financial Concepts LLC

Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 2,084 shares of the energy company’s stock, valued at approximately $405,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 25,532 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $4,963,000 after purchasing an additional 2,509 shares during the period. MQS Management LLC bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $530,000. Legato Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $636,000. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC now owns 12,663 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $2,461,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares during the period. Finally, Plan A Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Plan A Wealth LLC now owns 1,779 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $346,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on LNG shares. UBS Group set a $290.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $286.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $338.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Cheniere Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $293.50.

Cheniere Energy Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of LNG stock opened at $240.59 on Friday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $186.20 and a 52-week high of $300.89. The stock has a market cap of $50.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.57 and a beta of 0.07. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average of $263.41 and a 200-day moving average of $228.55.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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). Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 38.95%. The business had revenue of $5.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.69 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $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 15.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.9%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.51%.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value 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 represents a 24.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy 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.