National Pension Service Purchases 22,314 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

National Pension Service boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 4.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 493,280 shares of the energy company’s stock after buying an additional 22,314 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned approximately 0.22% of Cheniere Energy worth $88,534,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in Cheniere Energy by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 112,652 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $20,599,000 after acquiring an additional 7,258 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 53.3% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 368 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 3.4% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 14,536 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $2,614,000 after purchasing an additional 479 shares during the period. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in Cheniere Energy by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,384 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $429,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Associates Ltd. lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 15,323 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,616,000 after buying an additional 209 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of LNG opened at $192.55 on Wednesday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a one year low of $152.31 and a one year high of $193.61. The company has a market cap of $43.57 billion, a PE ratio of 12.30 and a beta of 0.94. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $183.55 and a 200-day moving average of $173.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.63, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.93.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The energy company reported $3.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $2.06. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 42.29% and a net margin of 22.70%. The firm had revenue of $3.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.76 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.37 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 10.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 11.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on LNG. TD Cowen increased their price target on Cheniere Energy from $192.00 to $202.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $201.00 to $217.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $208.00 to $204.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $199.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $215.00 target price on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $201.89.

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.