Cozad Asset Management Inc. Trims Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Cozad Asset Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 34,992 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 257 shares during the period. Cozad Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $7,519,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 3.2% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 5,438,428 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $978,047,000 after buying an additional 167,575 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 195.1% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,200,456 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $755,410,000 after purchasing an additional 2,776,920 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 91.4% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,747,370 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $673,927,000 after purchasing an additional 1,789,919 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 19.9% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 2,696,002 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $606,907,000 after purchasing an additional 448,189 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 11.0% during the third 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 worth $322,631,000 after purchasing an additional 178,318 shares in the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Cheniere Energy news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 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 SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of LNG opened at $218.61 on Monday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $48.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.36 and a beta of 0.94. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 1 year low of $152.88 and a 1 year high of $257.65. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $224.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $207.63.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $4.44 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 20.71% and a return on equity of 37.19%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on LNG. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of 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 shares of Cheniere Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $234.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Scotiabank reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $237.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given 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 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.