Korea Investment CORP Reduces Stock Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Korea Investment CORP cut its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 9.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 205,209 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 22,049 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $44,093,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of LNG. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 170.5% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 119 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC increased its stake in Cheniere Energy by 373.1% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Adirondack Trust Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $46,000. 87.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 2.4 %

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock opened at $226.76 on Friday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a one year low of $152.88 and a one year high of $257.65. The company has a market cap of $50.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.94 and a beta of 0.94. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average of $224.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $210.14.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $1.59. The firm had revenue of $4.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.44 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 20.71% and a return on equity of 37.19%. On average, analysts forecast 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 $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 currently 14.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $195.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Argus began coverage on Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $255.00 target price for the company. Scotiabank reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $242.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $239.79.

Insider Activity at Cheniere Energy

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 value 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 approximately $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 can be accessed through the SEC website. Company 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.