Aviva PLC Has $59.78 Million Stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Aviva PLC lowered its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 5.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 278,235 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 16,295 shares during the period. Aviva PLC’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $59,784,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth $629,197,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 195.1% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,200,456 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $755,410,000 after acquiring an additional 2,776,920 shares during the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 1,400.7% in the fourth quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 1,509,717 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $324,393,000 after acquiring an additional 1,409,116 shares in the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 61.2% in the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 1,664,439 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $357,638,000 after acquiring an additional 631,787 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth $130,772,000. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the firm’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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 33,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,448,852.34. This trade represents a 20.96 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:LNG opened at $196.84 on Friday. 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’s 50-day moving average is $221.78 and its 200-day moving average is $212.22. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $152.88 and a 52-week high of $257.65. The company has a market cap of $44.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.83 and a beta of 0.67.

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

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

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 dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.02%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on LNG. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Barclays boosted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $277.00 price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $195.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Scotiabank reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Thursday, March 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.