Natixis Advisors LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Natixis Advisors LLC lowered its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 24.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 49,392 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 16,130 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $11,606,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $335,000. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 15.8% in the 2nd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 17,380 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $4,232,000 after buying an additional 2,377 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 4.0% in the second quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 14,406 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $3,508,000 after buying an additional 549 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 83.2% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 12,055 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,936,000 after buying an additional 5,474 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Verus Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 21.5% during the second quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,564 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $381,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Cheniere Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Huge Q4 earnings beat and valuation focus after management expanded buyback capacity — the earnings surprise and expanded repurchase authorization are primary drivers behind the rally as they materially increase capital return expectations for shareholders. Cheniere Energy (LNG) Valuation Check After Q4 2025 Earnings Beat And Expanded Share Buyback
• Positive Sentiment: Board approved a roughly US$10.2 billion buyback authorization — among the largest in the sector, signaling strong confidence from management and directly supporting the share price through potential buybacks. Cheniere’s US$10.2b Buyback Puts Cash Flows And Debt In Focus
• Positive Sentiment: Sector-wide LNG bullishness as Qatar outage and supply tightness lift global gas prices — quant screens and analyst notes are spotlighting LNG names (including Cheniere) as beneficiaries of higher seaborne gas values. Quant ratings highlight LNG stocks as Qatar shutdown sparks global gas price surge
• Positive Sentiment: Broader energy rally and geopolitical risk (Strait of Hormuz tensions, IEA release) lifted oil and energy stocks, providing a favorable tailwind for Cheniere’s shares. Energy Stocks Like Occidental Have Lagged Oil Price Hikes. Why They’re Catching Up.
• Neutral Sentiment: Completed a private offering of ~US$1.75B in long‑dated senior notes (2036/2056) — proceeds go to refinancing, capex and general purposes; helps liquidity but increases leverage and deserves investor scrutiny. Is Cheniere’s New Long‑Dated Debt Issue Quietly Redefining LNG’s Capital Allocation Playbook?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyses and retrospectives highlight strong long‑term returns for Cheniere investors — useful context for long‑term holders but less of an immediate price catalyst. $100 Invested In Cheniere Energy 20 Years Ago Would Be Worth This Much Today
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector filing note: an investor sold a large Golar LNG position — sector flow data can create noise but this sale is specific to Golar, not Cheniere. This LNG Stock Is Up 32% in a Year, so Why Did One Investor Sell Off a $14 Million Position?
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually large put‑option activity — traders bought ~16,352 put contracts (≈+266% vs. normal), which could signal increased hedging or bearish bets and adds short‑term downside risk if selling pressure follows.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on LNG shares. Barclays lifted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $284.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $266.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $264.89.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of LNG stock opened at $253.76 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $186.20 and a 12-month high of $259.24. The business’s 50 day moving average is $217.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $217.48. The company has a market capitalization of $53.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.44 and a beta of 0.25.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.90 by $6.78. The business had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 32.04% and a net margin of 26.68%.The business’s revenue was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.33 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, February 26th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the energy company to purchase up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 6th were issued a $0.555 dividend. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is presently 9.14%.

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.