AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Purchases Shares of 607,234 Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 607,234 shares of the energy company’s stock, valued at approximately $142,688,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Altman Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Altman Advisors Inc. now owns 10,206 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,409,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 3,268 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $768,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. Childress Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 0.9% during the third quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,385 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $1,265,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Bailard Inc. increased its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 0.7% during the second quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 6,663 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $1,623,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Titleist Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 1.5% in the second quarter. Titleist Asset Management LLC now owns 3,309 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $806,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cheniere Energy Stock Up 1.1%

Cheniere Energy stock opened at $207.91 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $199.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $218.48. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $186.20 and a twelve month high of $246.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.58, a PEG ratio of 6.61 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The energy company reported $4.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.75 by $2.00. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 21.12% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The company had revenue of $4.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.87 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.93 EPS. Cheniere Energy’s revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 6th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.37%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Cheniere Energy news, Director W Benjamin Moreland acquired 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 4th. The shares were bought at an average price of $208.22 per share, with a total value of $1,041,100.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 9,856 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,052,216.32. This trade represents a 102.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LNG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $283.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $251.00 price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Sunday. Barclays dropped their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $262.00 to $259.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Cheniere Energy from $284.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Erste Group Bank cut Cheniere Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $263.29.

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.