Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Shares Sold by M&G PLC

M&G PLC lessened its position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 14.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 513,577 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 85,082 shares during the quarter. M&G PLC owned approximately 0.25% of Cheniere Energy worth $138,152,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $7,122,000. Saudi Central Bank lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 80.5% in the 2nd quarter. Saudi Central Bank now owns 14,342 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $3,428,000 after purchasing an additional 6,397 shares during the period. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,472,000. Groupe la Francaise bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $4,500,000. Finally, Nykredit A S acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the second quarter worth approximately $29,941,000. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Up 2.6%

LNG stock opened at $285.24 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $283.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $258.41. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $186.20 and a fifty-two week high of $330.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.90. The company has a market cap of $58.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.01.

Cheniere Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 17th. Investors of record on Monday, November 9th will be given a $0.6250 dividend. This represents a $2.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 9th. This is an increase from Cheniere Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.5550. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is 15.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on LNG shares. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $300.00 to $319.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 24th. Zacks Research upgraded Cheniere Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $287.00 to $328.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $310.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $324.41.

Cheniere Energy Profile

Cheniere Energy, Inc is a U.S. energy company focused on producing and exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG). Its operations include the Sabine Pass LNG facility in Louisiana and the Corpus Christi LNG facility in Texas, where natural gas is processed and liquefied for shipment.

The company supplies LNG to customers in international markets, including countries in Asia, Europe and Latin America. Its activities also include sourcing natural gas and marketing LNG under long-term and other sales agreements.

Founded in 1996, Cheniere initially developed LNG import infrastructure before shifting its focus to U.S.