Virtu Financial LLC Boosts Stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Virtu Financial LLC lifted its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 79.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 10,193 shares of the energy company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,498 shares during the quarter. Virtu Financial LLC’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $1,981,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Strive Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy during the third quarter valued at $27,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of LNG stock opened at $227.25 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $47.62 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.57. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a one year low of $186.20 and a one year high of $300.89. The company’s 50-day moving average is $246.21 and its 200 day moving average is $232.06.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $5.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.69 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 38.95% and a net margin of 7.23%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.57 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a $0.555 dividend. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is presently 36.51%.

Cheniere Energy declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, February 26th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the energy company to reacquire up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on LNG. Benchmark reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. UBS Group set a $290.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $297.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Cheniere Energy news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total transaction of $6,473,141.08. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,622,720. This trade represents a 25.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, 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 sale, 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 ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.