Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) Shares Sold by Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.

Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. lessened its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 14.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 604,812 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 100,420 shares during the quarter. Cheniere Energy accounts for approximately 1.6% of Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.’s holdings, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $129,956,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $48,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $629,197,000. Blair William & Co. IL lifted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 49,426 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $10,620,000 after acquiring an additional 613 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 22.5% in the 4th quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 243,140 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $52,243,000 after acquiring an additional 44,674 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sava Infond d.o.o. purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth $301,000. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cheniere Energy Trading Down 2.4 %

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock opened at $226.76 on Friday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $152.88 and a fifty-two week high of $257.65. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $50.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.94 and a beta of 0.94. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $224.08 and a 200 day moving average of $210.14.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released 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. The business had revenue of $4.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.44 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 20.71% and a return on equity of 37.19%. As a group, research analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.51, for a total transaction of $1,975,590.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 33,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,448,852.34. The trade was a 20.96 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.29% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LNG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $253.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $237.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Argus initiated coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $255.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $248.00 to $254.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note 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 currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $239.79.

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.