Bank of New York Mellon Corp Sells 48,275 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Bank of New York Mellon Corp reduced its stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 4.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,007,212 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 48,275 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $216,420,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 3.2% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 5,438,428 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $978,047,000 after buying an additional 167,575 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 195.1% in the 3rd 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 period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 91.4% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,747,370 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $673,927,000 after acquiring an additional 1,789,919 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 11.0% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,793,989 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $322,631,000 after purchasing an additional 178,318 shares during the period. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its stake in Cheniere Energy by 61.2% in the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 1,664,439 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $357,638,000 after purchasing an additional 631,787 shares in the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

NYSE:LNG opened at $219.85 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 market cap of $49.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.45 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.07. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $223.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $204.69.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $4.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.44 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.05%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $195.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com upgraded Cheniere Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. TD Cowen increased their target price on Cheniere Energy from $242.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $253.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $235.75.

Cheniere Energy 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.