Farmers Trust Co. Lowers Stock Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Farmers Trust Co. cut its position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 6.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 31,051 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 2,233 shares during the quarter. Cheniere Energy makes up approximately 1.2% of Farmers Trust Co.’s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Farmers Trust Co.’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $6,672,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of 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 valued at $755,410,000 after acquiring an additional 2,776,920 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1,490.1% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,957,451 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $342,221,000 after purchasing an additional 1,834,347 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 328.2% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 894,600 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $160,885,000 after purchasing an additional 685,662 shares during the period. Darlington Partners Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 74.6% in the 2nd quarter. Darlington Partners Capital Management LP now owns 1,514,155 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $264,720,000 after buying an additional 647,096 shares during the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 8.5% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 5,270,853 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $921,503,000 after buying an additional 413,744 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $215.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $232.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $242.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $199.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. 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 company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $225.00.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of LNG traded up $0.89 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $224.40. 984,120 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,402,295. The company has a market cap of $50.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.33 and a beta of 0.99. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 1 year low of $152.31 and a 1 year high of $228.10. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $212.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $191.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The energy company reported $3.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $2.06. The business had revenue of $3.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.76 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 41.44% and a net margin of 22.70%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.37 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 18th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.89%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.77%.

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.