Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) Shares Sold by Ballentine Partners LLC

Ballentine Partners LLC lowered its stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 26.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,059 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 1,439 shares during the quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $655,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cooksen Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. Quarry LP lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 156.3% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 305 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. AJOVista LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $60,000. Finally, General Partner Inc. purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $77,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on LNG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $214.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $178.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Cheniere Energy in a research note on Monday. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Redburn Atlantic began coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $162.00 target price for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $198.64.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LNG traded up $2.03 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $166.95. 230,401 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,877,509. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.03 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $158.39. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $146.58 and a 52 week high of $183.46.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released its earnings results on Friday, May 3rd. The energy company reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by ($0.17). Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 48.19% and a net margin of 28.55%. The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $6.89 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 41.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 8.31 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 9th will be given a $0.435 dividend. This represents a $1.74 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 9th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.48%.

About Cheniere Energy

Cheniere Energy, Inc, an energy infrastructure company, primarily engages in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) related businesses in the United States. It owns and operates the Sabine Pass LNG terminal in Cameron Parish, Louisiana; and the Corpus Christi LNG terminal near Corpus Christi, Texas. The company also owns Creole Trail pipeline, a 94-mile natural gas supply pipeline that interconnects the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal with several interstate and intrastate pipelines; and operates Corpus Christi pipeline, a 21.5-mile natural gas supply pipeline that interconnects the Corpus Christi LNG terminal with various interstate and intrastate natural gas pipelines.