Martin Investment Management LLC Purchases 24,278 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Martin Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 615.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 28,223 shares of the energy company’s stock after buying an additional 24,278 shares during the quarter. Cheniere Energy accounts for approximately 1.7% of Martin Investment Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Martin Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $6,064,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in LNG. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 10.3% in the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 460 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $99,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 2,339 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $503,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 3,346 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $719,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. American Money Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. American Money Management LLC now owns 10,987 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $2,361,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 7,043 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,513,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LNG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $242.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $195.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $277.00 price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Argus began coverage on Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $255.00 target price for the company. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $253.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $239.79.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:LNG opened at $230.60 on Wednesday. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $152.88 and a twelve month high of $257.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $222.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $211.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.58 billion, a PE ratio of 16.20 and a beta of 0.94.

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

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.05%.

Insider Activity at Cheniere Energy

In other news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.51, for a total value 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 SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.29% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.