Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) Shares Sold by Valeo Financial Advisors LLC

Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 16.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,433 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 477 shares during the quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $438,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 27.1% during the 1st quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 29,235 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $4,715,000 after buying an additional 6,235 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 6.7% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 187,236 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $30,198,000 after purchasing an additional 11,800 shares in the last quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S increased its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 103.3% during the first quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 31,577 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $5,093,000 after purchasing an additional 16,044 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 215.7% during the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 62,551 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $10,936,000 after purchasing an additional 42,737 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the first quarter worth about $818,000. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

NYSE LNG opened at $188.77 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $182.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $170.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.19 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.63, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.02. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 1 year low of $152.31 and a 1 year high of $193.16.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The energy company reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.12. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 27.05% and a return on equity of 39.42%. The company had revenue of $1.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.04 billion. On average, research analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 9.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 7th were given a $0.775 dividend. This is an increase from Cheniere Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 7th. This represents a $3.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.64%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.48%.

Cheniere Energy announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Monday, June 17th that permits the company to buyback $4.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the energy company to repurchase up to 9.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on LNG shares. TD Cowen boosted their price target 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. Barclays boosted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $194.00 to $199.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. 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 research note on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Cheniere Energy in a research note on Monday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Two 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, Cheniere Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $195.00.

Cheniere Energy Company Profile

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.