ClearBridge Investments Ltd Has $75.42 Million Stock Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

ClearBridge Investments Ltd raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 10.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 351,020 shares of the energy company’s stock after acquiring an additional 31,914 shares during the quarter. Cheniere Energy makes up about 2.0% of ClearBridge Investments Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. ClearBridge Investments Ltd’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $75,424,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 195.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,200,456 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $755,410,000 after acquiring an additional 2,776,920 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $629,197,000. Amundi increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 19.9% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 2,696,002 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $606,907,000 after acquiring an additional 448,189 shares in the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. TD Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,841,988 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $395,788,000 after purchasing an additional 91,554 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 11.0% during the 3rd 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 worth $322,631,000 after acquiring an additional 178,318 shares during the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Cheniere Energy

In other Cheniere Energy news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the firm’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 sale, the director now owns 33,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,448,852.34. This trade represents a 20.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LNG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $195.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Scotiabank restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. StockNews.com raised Cheniere Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $237.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $234.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $239.79.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

NYSE LNG opened at $226.16 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.58 billion, a P/E 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 firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $223.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $210.70. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $152.88 and a 12-month high of $257.65.

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 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. Analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

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