Flputnam Investment Management Co. Buys 6,145 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Flputnam Investment Management Co. lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 12.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 56,614 shares of the energy company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,145 shares during the quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $12,165,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 170.5% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 119 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the third quarter worth $28,000. Adirondack Trust Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth $43,000. City Holding Co. bought a new position in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth $50,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 53.3% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 368 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cheniere Energy Trading Up 3.9 %

NYSE:LNG opened at $228.51 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.98. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a one year low of $152.31 and a one year high of $257.65. The company has a market cap of $51.11 billion, a PE ratio of 16.06 and a beta of 0.98. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $224.28 and a 200-day moving average of $205.01.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $1.59. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 37.19% and a net margin of 20.71%. The firm had revenue of $4.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.44 billion. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on LNG. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. StockNews.com upgraded Cheniere Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. TD Cowen increased their price target on Cheniere Energy from $242.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $237.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $235.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.51, for a total transaction of $1,975,590.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 33,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,448,852.34. This trade represents a 20.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Company Profile

Cheniere Energy, Inc, an energy infrastructure company, primarily engages in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) related businesses in the United States. It owns and operates the Sabine Pass LNG terminal in Cameron Parish, Louisiana; and the Corpus Christi LNG terminal near Corpus Christi, Texas. The company also owns Creole Trail pipeline, a 94-mile natural gas supply pipeline that interconnects the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal with several interstate and intrastate pipelines; and operates Corpus Christi pipeline, a 21.5-mile natural gas supply pipeline that interconnects the Corpus Christi LNG terminal with various interstate and intrastate natural gas pipelines.