Altshuler Shaham Ltd Has $2.12 Million Stock Holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Altshuler Shaham Ltd lessened its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 31.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,882 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 4,976 shares during the period. Altshuler Shaham Ltd’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $2,115,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on LNG shares. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $296.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 13th. Scotiabank reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Cheniere Energy from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $297.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Cheniere Energy news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction on 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 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. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of LNG stock opened at $231.67 on Thursday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $186.20 and a 52-week high of $300.89. The stock has a market cap of $48.55 billion and a PE ratio of 38.10. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average price is $248.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $231.97.

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

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

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

Cheniere Energy declared that its Board of Directors has authorized 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 repurchase up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Cheniere Energy 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.