Caprock Group LLC Boosts Stock Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Caprock Group LLC increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 57.8% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 3,164 shares of the energy company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,159 shares during the quarter. Caprock Group LLC’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $553,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Keene & Associates Inc. lifted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 3.8% during the 1st quarter. Keene & Associates Inc. now owns 1,798 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $290,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Signature Wealth Management Group lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 1.4% during the second quarter. Signature Wealth Management Group now owns 4,758 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $832,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 57.6% in the second quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 186 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. E&G Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 5.2% in the first quarter. E&G Advisors LP now owns 1,420 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $229,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Syon Capital LLC grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 1,618 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $276,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LNG opened at $176.58 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.60 and a beta of 0.95. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $152.31 and a 52 week high of $187.44. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $180.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $166.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.63.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The energy company reported $3.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by $2.13. The business had revenue of $3.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.52 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 27.05% and a return on equity of 39.42%. The business’s revenue was down 19.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $5.61 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 9.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Monday, June 17th that permits the company to buyback $4.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the energy company to buy up to 9.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 9th were issued a $0.435 dividend. This represents a $1.74 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is currently 8.48%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on LNG shares. TD Cowen upped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $178.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $214.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $208.00 to $204.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Monday, June 24th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $194.00 to $199.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $196.00.

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.