Blair William & Co. IL Increases Stock Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Blair William & Co. IL grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 1.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 49,426 shares of the energy company’s stock after purchasing an additional 613 shares during the quarter. Blair William & Co. IL’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $10,620,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of LNG. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in Cheniere Energy by 10.3% in the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 460 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $99,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 2,339 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $503,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 3,346 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $719,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in Cheniere Energy by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 7,043 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $1,513,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hourglass Capital LLC boosted its position in Cheniere Energy by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Hourglass Capital LLC now owns 10,950 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,353,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock opened at $226.16 on Friday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $152.88 and a twelve month high of $257.65. The stock has a market cap of $50.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.89 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $223.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $210.70.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $1.59. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 37.19% and a net margin of 20.71%. The company had revenue of $4.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.44 billion. Equities research analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on LNG shares. StockNews.com raised Cheniere Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $234.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $277.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Scotiabank reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $239.79.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.51, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents a 20.96 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

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.