Montchanin Asset Management LLC Purchases New Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Montchanin Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm acquired 3,155 shares of the energy company’s stock, valued at approximately $509,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Xcel Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Xcel Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,961 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $335,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Keene & Associates Inc. grew its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 3.8% during the 1st quarter. Keene & Associates Inc. now owns 1,798 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $290,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. E&G Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 5.2% in the first quarter. E&G Advisors LP now owns 1,420 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $229,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Syon Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 1,618 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $276,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Montag A & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 13.1% during the fourth quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 654 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $112,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE LNG traded down $2.99 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $179.65. The company had a trading volume of 1,150,929 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,892,592. The stock has a market cap of $41.12 billion, a PE ratio of 8.75 and a beta of 0.96. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a one year low of $152.31 and a one year high of $184.62. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $168.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $163.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 3rd. The energy company reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by ($0.17). Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 28.55% and a return on equity of 48.19%. The company had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.97 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $6.89 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 41.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 8.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Monday, June 17th that allows the company to repurchase $4.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the energy company to repurchase up to 9.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.435 per share. This represents a $1.74 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 9th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.48%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. TD Cowen upped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $178.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $214.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $194.00 to $199.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Monday, June 24th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $204.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $199.09.

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.