Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) Short Interest Down 8.8% in September

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) saw a large decline in short interest in the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 636,600 shares, a decline of 8.8% from the August 31st total of 698,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 139,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.6 days. Approximately 0.3% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Cheniere Energy Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE LNG traded up $1.47 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $181.31. The company had a trading volume of 1,279,701 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,795,227. The stock has a market cap of $41.50 billion, a PE ratio of 8.76 and a beta of 0.95. Cheniere Energy has a one year low of $152.31 and a one year high of $187.44. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $180.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $168.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.63.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The energy company reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.12. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 39.42% and a net margin of 27.05%. The firm had revenue of $1.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.04 billion. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy will post 9.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 7th were given a dividend of $0.775 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 7th. This represents a $3.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.71%. This is a boost from Cheniere Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.48%.

Cheniere Energy declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Monday, June 17th that permits the company to repurchase $4.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the energy company to buy up to 9.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Signature Wealth Management Group boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 1.4% during the second quarter. Signature Wealth Management Group now owns 4,758 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $832,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 57.6% in the second quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 186 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. E&G Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 5.2% in the first quarter. E&G Advisors LP now owns 1,420 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $229,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Syon Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 1,618 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $276,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Accordant Advisory Group Inc boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Accordant Advisory Group Inc now owns 19,383 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $3,389,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LNG has been the subject of several analyst reports. TD Cowen raised their target price on Cheniere Energy from $178.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Monday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $194.00 to $199.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $208.00 to $204.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $196.25.

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.