Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) Shares Bought by United Capital Management of KS Inc.

United Capital Management of KS Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 14.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 24,017 shares of the energy company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,104 shares during the quarter. United Capital Management of KS Inc.’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $5,160,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LNG. Harbour Investments Inc. boosted its position in Cheniere Energy by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,194 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $215,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $851,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Cheniere Energy by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 113,635 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $20,436,000 after acquiring an additional 2,768 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank raised its stake in Cheniere Energy by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 3,571 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $642,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its stake in Cheniere Energy by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 69,900 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $12,571,000 after acquiring an additional 560 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Up 3.3 %

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock opened at $218.61 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $224.85 and its 200-day moving average is $207.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.90 billion, a PE ratio of 15.36 and a beta of 0.94. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $152.88 and a 12-month high of $257.65.

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

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.91%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 14.05%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.51, for a total transaction of $1,975,590.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 33,934 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,448,852.34. The trade was a 20.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on LNG. StockNews.com raised Cheniere Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group lifted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $232.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $195.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $242.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $236.33.

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.