ClearBridge Investments Ltd Raises Stock Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

ClearBridge Investments Ltd increased its stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 10.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 351,020 shares of the energy company’s stock after purchasing an additional 31,914 shares during the period. Cheniere Energy makes up approximately 2.0% of ClearBridge Investments Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. ClearBridge Investments Ltd owned approximately 0.16% of Cheniere Energy worth $75,424,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 195.1% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,200,456 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $755,410,000 after acquiring an additional 2,776,920 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth $629,197,000. Amundi lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 19.9% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 2,696,002 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $606,907,000 after buying an additional 448,189 shares in the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. TD Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,841,988 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $395,788,000 after purchasing an additional 91,554 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 11.0% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,793,989 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $322,631,000 after acquiring an additional 178,318 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on LNG. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $234.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Argus initiated coverage on Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $255.00 price objective for the company. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $248.00 to $254.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Scotiabank reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Cheniere Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $239.79.

Insider Transactions at Cheniere Energy

In other news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 33,934 shares in the company, valued at $7,448,852.34. This represents a 20.96 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.29% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

NYSE LNG opened at $226.16 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.58 billion, a PE ratio of 15.89 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $223.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $210.70. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $152.88 and a 12-month high of $257.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $1.59. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 37.19% and a net margin of 20.71%. The business had revenue of $4.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.44 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

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

About Cheniere Energy

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.