Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 103.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 46,060 shares of the energy company’s stock after purchasing an additional 23,414 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc.’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $7,429,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LNG. Xcel Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Xcel Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,961 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $335,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Keene & Associates Inc. grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 3.8% during the first quarter. Keene & Associates Inc. now owns 1,798 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $290,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. E&G Advisors LP grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 5.2% during the first quarter. E&G Advisors LP now owns 1,420 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $229,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Syon Capital LLC grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 1,618 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $276,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. Finally, Montag A & Associates Inc. grew its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 654 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $112,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on LNG shares. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $162.00 price target on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Monday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Cheniere Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $178.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $214.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $199.09.

Cheniere Energy Trading Up 2.4 %

LNG stock traded up $4.20 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $181.88. 2,222,673 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,900,212. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $152.31 and a twelve month high of $184.62. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $167.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The firm has a market cap of $41.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.69 and a beta of 0.96.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 3rd. The energy company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.30 by ($0.17). Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 28.55% and a return on equity of 48.19%. The business had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.97 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $6.89 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 41.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 8.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 9th will be issued a $0.435 dividend. This represents a $1.74 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 9th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.48%.

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

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.