Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Acquires 21,722 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 13.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 186,283 shares of the energy company’s stock after buying an additional 21,722 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned 0.09% of Cheniere Energy worth $52,860,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Strive Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Sankala Group LLC purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock opened at $235.56 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $186.20 and a twelve month high of $300.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.36 billion and a PE ratio of 38.74. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $243.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $232.93.

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

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were given a dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is presently 36.51%.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays raised their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. TD Cowen upped their price target 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. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Benchmark reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $297.71.

Insider Activity at Cheniere Energy

In related news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $8,700,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This represents a 24.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

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.