Wedbush Securities Inc. Has $670,000 Stock Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Wedbush Securities Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 28.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,831 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 1,487 shares during the quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc.’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $670,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. MCF Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Lynx Investment Advisory acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Cooksen Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 1st quarter worth $29,000. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Cheniere Energy stock opened at $176.58 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.63. The company has a market capitalization of $40.42 billion, a PE ratio of 8.60 and a beta of 0.95. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $152.31 and a 12 month high of $187.44. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $180.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $166.52.

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

Cheniere Energy declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Monday, June 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $4.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the energy company to purchase up to 9.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 9th were given a dividend of $0.435 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th. This represents a $1.74 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.99%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $208.00 to $204.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 9th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $178.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Cheniere Energy in a research note on Monday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Barclays raised their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $194.00 to $199.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $214.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $196.00.

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.