Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) Shares Acquired by Sandy Spring Bank

Sandy Spring Bank lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 3.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 27,964 shares of the energy company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,037 shares during the period. Sandy Spring Bank’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $4,774,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Bornite Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy in the first quarter worth approximately $13,865,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $2,102,000. Yousif Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 7.3% in the first quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 5,069 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $703,000 after purchasing an additional 345 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A. grew its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 95.0% in the first quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 4,244 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $589,000 after purchasing an additional 2,068 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 22.8% during the first quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 4,287 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $594,000 after buying an additional 797 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of LNG stock opened at $158.85 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $159.18. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a one year low of $135.30 and a one year high of $183.46. The company has a market cap of $37.28 billion, a PE ratio of 3.92 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The energy company reported $5.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.70 by $3.06. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 69.52% and a net margin of 48.45%. The company had revenue of $4.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $15.78 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 46.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 8.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 6th were given a dividend of $0.435 per share. This represents a $1.74 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.10%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 5th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LNG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $185.00 to $178.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Mizuho boosted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $187.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 15th. StockNews.com cut Cheniere Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $192.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $196.78.

Cheniere Energy 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.