3,464 Shares in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG Bought by J. Derek Lewis & Associates Inc.

J. Derek Lewis & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 3,464 shares of the energy company’s stock, valued at approximately $673,000.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $335,000. Bank of Nova Scotia increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 13.3% in the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 8,825 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,149,000 after purchasing an additional 1,035 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 23.1% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 183,153 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $44,600,000 after purchasing an additional 34,422 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 0.8% in the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 103,040 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $25,092,000 after purchasing an additional 805 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC lifted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 87.0% in the second quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 36,502 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $8,889,000 after buying an additional 16,977 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Up 0.1%

LNG stock opened at $227.25 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $246.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $232.06. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $186.20 and a fifty-two week high of $300.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.57. The company has a market cap of $47.62 billion and a P/E ratio of 37.38.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.25 by ($20.90). The firm had revenue of $5.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.69 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 38.95% and a net margin of 7.23%.The firm’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.57 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, February 26th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the energy company to repurchase up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a $0.555 dividend. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cheniere Energy

In related news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, March 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $8,700,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This trade represents a 24.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total transaction of $6,473,141.08. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 64,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,622,720. This trade represents a 25.79% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on LNG. Scotiabank restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Cheniere Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, UBS Group set a $290.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $297.71.

Cheniere Energy Company Profile

Cheniere Energy, Inc is a U.S.-based energy company that develops, owns and operates liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure and markets LNG to global customers. The company’s core activities include natural gas liquefaction, long‑term and short‑term LNG sales and marketing, and the associated midstream services required to move gas from production basins to international markets. Cheniere focuses on converting domestic natural gas into LNG for export, providing a bridge between North American supply and overseas demand.

Cheniere’s principal operating assets are large-scale LNG export terminals located on the U.S.