Royal Fund Management LLC Acquires 873 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Royal Fund Management LLC boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 5.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,915 shares of the energy company’s stock after purchasing an additional 873 shares during the period. Royal Fund Management LLC’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $3,042,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Strategic Wealth Partners Ltd. raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 7.7% during the 3rd quarter. Strategic Wealth Partners Ltd. now owns 6,446 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $1,159,000 after purchasing an additional 459 shares during the last quarter. SL Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 3.4% during the third quarter. SL Advisors LLC now owns 18,209 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $3,275,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the period. Brookstone Capital Management increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 10.3% during the third quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 1,654 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $297,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the period. Atomi Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Cheniere Energy by 35.8% during the third quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,865 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $335,000 after buying an additional 492 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 2.3% in the third quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 5,958 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,072,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LNG traded up $1.39 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $189.33. The company had a trading volume of 92,121 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,771,767. The stock has a market cap of $43.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.15 and a beta of 0.94. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $181.82 and its 200 day moving average price is $170.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.63. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $152.31 and a 52-week high of $191.05.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The energy company reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $1.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.04 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 27.05% and a return on equity of 39.42%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 9.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Monday, June 17th that allows the company to repurchase $4.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the energy company to buy up to 9.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 7th were given a dividend of $0.775 per share. This represents a $3.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 7th. This is a boost from Cheniere Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.48%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on LNG. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Cheniere Energy from $208.00 to $204.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Cheniere Energy in a report on Monday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Barclays increased their price target on Cheniere Energy from $194.00 to $199.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $178.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $195.00.

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.