Franklin Resources Inc. Has $196.81 Million Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Franklin Resources Inc. cut its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 24.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 915,952 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 303,663 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $196,810,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth $629,197,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 195.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,200,456 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $755,410,000 after acquiring an additional 2,776,920 shares during the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 1,400.7% in the 4th quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 1,509,717 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $324,393,000 after purchasing an additional 1,409,116 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its position in Cheniere Energy by 328.2% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 894,600 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $160,885,000 after purchasing an additional 685,662 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 61.2% during the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 1,664,439 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $357,638,000 after purchasing an additional 631,787 shares in the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.51, for a total transaction of $1,975,590.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 33,934 shares in the company, valued at $7,448,852.34. The trade was a 20.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.29% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Cheniere Energy stock opened at $230.60 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.20 and a beta of 0.94. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $152.88 and a 52-week high of $257.65. 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 stock’s 50 day moving average price is $222.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $211.68.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $4.44 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is 14.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LNG has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com raised Cheniere Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $234.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $277.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Scotiabank restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $239.79.

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.