Spectrum Strategic Capital Management LLC Decreases Stock Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Spectrum Strategic Capital Management LLC reduced its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 45.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,207 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 4,377 shares during the quarter. Spectrum Strategic Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $1,012,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Sapient Capital LLC increased its position in Cheniere Energy by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Sapient Capital LLC now owns 4,816 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $932,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. North Dakota State Investment Board purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth $1,510,000. iA Global Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Cheniere Energy by 27.5% in the fourth quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 13,677 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,659,000 after buying an additional 2,952 shares during the last quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth $1,243,000. Finally, Qsemble Capital Management LP increased its position in Cheniere Energy by 87.4% in the fourth quarter. Qsemble Capital Management LP now owns 67,296 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $13,082,000 after buying an additional 31,391 shares during the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LNG has been the subject of several recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Weiss Ratings cut Cheniere Energy from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $296.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $293.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cheniere Energy

In related news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, March 30th. The stock was 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 approximately $26,143,800. This trade represents a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,622,720. This represents a 25.79% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LNG opened at $241.77 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $50.66 billion, a PE ratio of 39.76 and a beta of 0.07. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $186.20 and a fifty-two week high of $300.89. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $264.03 and a 200-day moving average of $227.55.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.25 by ($20.90). The business had revenue of $5.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.69 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 38.95%. Cheniere Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 15.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.555 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.51%.

Cheniere Energy announced that its board has initiated 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 shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

About Cheniere Energy

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.