Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Cuts Stock Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System cut its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 4.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 204,795 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 9,022 shares during the quarter. Cheniere Energy makes up about 1.2% of Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $58,113,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Viking Fund Management LLC grew its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 66.7% during the fourth quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 45,000 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $8,748,000 after purchasing an additional 18,000 shares in the last quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 38.8% in the fourth quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC now owns 56,930 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $11,067,000 after buying an additional 15,927 shares in the last quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG lifted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 227.7% in the fourth quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 15,505 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $3,014,000 after buying an additional 10,774 shares in the last quarter. Generate Investment Management Ltd bought a new position in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $10,691,000. Finally, Lewis Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 127.4% during the fourth quarter. Lewis Asset Management LLC now owns 8,751 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,701,000 after buying an additional 4,903 shares during the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on LNG shares. Zacks Research downgraded Cheniere Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Citigroup increased their target price on Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $286.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Benchmark restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $297.71.

Cheniere Energy Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:LNG opened at $265.05 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $55.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.59 and a beta of -0.01. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $186.20 and a 12 month high of $300.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $241.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $238.40.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a $0.555 dividend. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.51%.

About Cheniere Energy

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.