Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Buys 59,478 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 45.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 189,524 shares of the energy company’s stock after acquiring an additional 59,478 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned 0.09% of Cheniere Energy worth $53,779,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake 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 valued at $4,124,870,000 after purchasing an additional 414,022 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,174,695 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $1,200,299,000 after purchasing an additional 167,622 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $731,774,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 12.5% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,279,078 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $443,031,000 after buying an additional 253,469 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,263,826 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $440,047,000 after buying an additional 134,695 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Trading Up 0.8%

LNG opened at $243.61 on Tuesday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $186.20 and a fifty-two week high of $300.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.05 billion and a PE ratio of 40.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The company’s 50-day moving average is $243.15 and its 200 day moving average is $233.54.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $5.87 billion for 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 for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LNG has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Cheniere Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Two equities 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, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.