Bank of New York Mellon Corp Sells 82,025 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Bank of New York Mellon Corp trimmed its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 9.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 818,210 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 82,025 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $159,052,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Viking Fund Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 66.7% in the fourth quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 45,000 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $8,748,000 after buying an additional 18,000 shares during the last quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 38.8% during the fourth quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC now owns 56,930 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $11,067,000 after purchasing an additional 15,927 shares during the last quarter. M&G PLC raised its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 49.6% during the third quarter. M&G PLC now owns 556,285 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $130,727,000 after purchasing an additional 184,520 shares during the last quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 35.3% during the third quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd now owns 196,819 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $46,244,000 after purchasing an additional 51,326 shares during the last quarter. Finally, J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG raised its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 227.7% during the fourth quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 15,505 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $3,014,000 after purchasing an additional 10,774 shares during the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE LNG opened at $238.81 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $256.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is $230.19. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $186.20 and a 52-week high of $300.89. The firm has a market cap of $50.04 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last announced its 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). Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 38.95%. The company had revenue of $5.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.69 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.57 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 14.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, February 26th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the energy company to purchase up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.51%.

Insider Activity

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on LNG shares. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $286.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $296.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $298.63.

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.