ING Groep NV Lowers Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

ING Groep NV lessened its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 64.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 35,000 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 64,200 shares during the period. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $7,520,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 170.5% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 119 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the third quarter worth $28,000. Adirondack Trust Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth $43,000. City Holding Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth $50,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position 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 buying an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $232.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Scotiabank raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $242.00 to $247.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $237.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $234.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $235.75.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 2.7 %

Shares of NYSE:LNG opened at $220.90 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.11 and a beta of 0.98. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $152.31 and a 12-month high of $257.65. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $222.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $203.27.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $1.59. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 41.44% and a net margin of 22.70%. The company had revenue of $4.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.44 billion. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 12.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.05%.

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.