Prudential PLC Has $11.98 Million Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Prudential PLC raised its stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 9.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 55,771 shares of the energy company’s stock after buying an additional 4,783 shares during the quarter. Prudential PLC’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $11,984,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of LNG. Flow Traders U.S. LLC acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $327,000. Hilltop Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 56.6% during the 3rd quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 2,828 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $509,000 after buying an additional 1,022 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 159,519 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $28,670,000 after buying an additional 2,949 shares during the last quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the third quarter valued at about $841,000. Finally, Redwood Investment Management LLC grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 4.2% in the third quarter. Redwood Investment Management LLC now owns 8,248 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,482,000 after acquiring an additional 330 shares during the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.51, for a total transaction of $1,975,590.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 33,934 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,448,852.34. This represents a 20.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 10.6 %

Shares of NYSE LNG opened at $196.84 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $221.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $212.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.07. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $152.88 and a 52-week high of $257.65. The company has a market capitalization of $44.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.83 and a beta of 0.94.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $1.59. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 20.71% and a return on equity of 37.19%. The business had revenue of $4.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.44 billion. Equities analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LNG has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $195.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. TD Cowen increased their price target on Cheniere Energy from $242.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $277.00 price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $253.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. 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 has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $239.79.

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.