Swiss National Bank Grows Stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Swiss National Bank raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 4.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 631,700 shares of the energy company’s stock after purchasing an additional 29,400 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.30% of Cheniere Energy worth $179,251,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in LNG. First Horizon Corp increased its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 7.7% during the first quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 517 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $147,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC now owns 1,497 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $425,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 6.8% during the 1st quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 725 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $206,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Quest Investment Management LLC increased its position in Cheniere Energy by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. Quest Investment Management LLC now owns 875 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $206,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Aviso Wealth Management increased its position in Cheniere Energy by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Aviso Wealth Management now owns 2,489 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $484,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LNG has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $286.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Scotiabank restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $283.00 target price on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $298.47.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock opened at $262.94 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $55.10 billion, a PE ratio of 43.25 and a beta of -0.01. 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 company has a 50-day simple moving average of $241.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $239.85. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a one year low of $186.20 and a one year high of $300.89.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were given a $0.555 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is presently 36.51%.

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.