Westpac Banking Corp Takes Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Westpac Banking Corp bought a new position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 333 shares of the energy company’s stock, valued at approximately $72,000.

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

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 10.6 %

LNG opened at $196.84 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $44.03 billion, a PE ratio of 13.83 and a beta of 0.94. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $221.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $212.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $152.88 and a 52 week high of $257.65.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $4.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.44 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 37.19% and a net margin of 20.71%. Analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. 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 Buying and Selling at Cheniere Energy

In other news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.51, for a total transaction of $1,975,590.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 33,934 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,448,852.34. This represents a 20.96 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.29% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Cheniere Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $248.00 to $254.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $277.00 target price on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Barclays boosted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $253.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.