Sandy Spring Bank Has $6.83 Million Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Sandy Spring Bank raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 31,772 shares of the energy company’s stock after buying an additional 647 shares during the period. Sandy Spring Bank’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $6,827,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $2,127,000. Fractal Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 31.0% in the 4th quarter. Fractal Investments LLC now owns 59,200 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $12,720,000 after acquiring an additional 14,000 shares during the period. Anderson Hoagland & Co. bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,460,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 31.4% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 36,664 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $7,812,000 after acquiring an additional 8,756 shares during the period. Finally, Insight Wealth Strategies LLC bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $4,455,000. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on LNG. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $237.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Scotiabank reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $248.00 to $254.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $195.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $239.79.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

NYSE LNG opened at $227.29 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. The company has a market capitalization of $50.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.97 and a beta of 0.94. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $152.88 and a 12-month high of $257.65. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $224.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $208.31.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $1.59. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 20.71% and a return on equity of 37.19%. The company had revenue of $4.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.44 billion. Analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is 14.05%.

Insider Activity at Cheniere Energy

In related news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.51, for a total value of $1,975,590.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 33,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,448,852.34. This represents a 20.96 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.29% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Cheniere Energy 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.