Levin Capital Strategies L.P. Decreases Stock Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Levin Capital Strategies L.P. lessened its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 19.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 105,130 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 25,529 shares during the quarter. Cheniere Energy comprises 2.1% of Levin Capital Strategies L.P.’s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest position. Levin Capital Strategies L.P.’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $22,589,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 12.5% in the fourth quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 21,920 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $4,710,000 after acquiring an additional 2,436 shares in the last quarter. Williamson Legacy Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 46.2% in the fourth quarter. Williamson Legacy Group LLC now owns 7,572 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,627,000 after acquiring an additional 2,393 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 16,007 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $3,439,000 after acquiring an additional 1,471 shares in the last quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sage Investment Counsel LLC purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $263,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of Cheniere Energy 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 directly owns 33,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,448,852.34. The trade was a 20.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

NYSE:LNG opened at $228.51 on Friday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $152.31 and a 52 week high of $257.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. The company has a market capitalization of $51.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.06 and a beta of 0.98. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $224.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $205.17.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $1.59. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 37.19% and a net margin of 20.71%. The business had revenue of $4.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.44 billion. Equities analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.88%. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is presently 14.05%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on LNG. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $195.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays lifted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $242.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $232.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Cheniere Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $235.75.

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.