Westpac Banking Corp Purchases Shares of 333 Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Westpac Banking Corp purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 333 shares of the energy company’s stock, valued at approximately $72,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter worth $2,127,000. Fractal Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 31.0% during the fourth quarter. Fractal Investments LLC now owns 59,200 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $12,720,000 after buying an additional 14,000 shares during the last quarter. Anderson Hoagland & Co. purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $2,460,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 31.4% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 36,664 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $7,812,000 after acquiring an additional 8,756 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Insight Wealth Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $4,455,000. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

LNG opened at $196.84 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. The company has a market cap of $44.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.83 and a beta of 0.94. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $221.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $212.00. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $152.88 and a 12-month high of $257.65.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $4.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.44 billion. Research analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is 14.05%.

Insider Activity at Cheniere Energy

In other news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.51, for a total value 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 filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on LNG shares. Scotiabank reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $277.00 target price on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $242.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $237.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $239.79.

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.