Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) Shares Sold by Vestcor Inc

Vestcor Inc reduced its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 11.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 6,865 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 882 shares during the quarter. Vestcor Inc’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $1,475,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 170.5% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 119 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. WR Wealth Planners LLC increased its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 373.1% in the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 123 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Adirondack Trust Co. purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 87.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Cheniere Energy news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the sale, the director now 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LNG has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $195.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $237.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. StockNews.com raised shares of Cheniere Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on 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 assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.33.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

NYSE LNG opened at $218.61 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.07. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $224.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $207.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.36 and a beta of 0.94. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $152.88 and a fifty-two week high of $257.65.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $1.59. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 20.71% and a return on equity of 37.19%. The firm had revenue of $4.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.44 billion. On average, research analysts anticipate 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 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 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 currently 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.