Traders Buy High Volume of Cheniere Energy Put Options (NYSE:LNG)

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) saw some unusual options trading on Monday. Investors bought 8,643 put options on the company. This represents an increase of 62% compared to the typical volume of 5,346 put options.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

LNG traded up $7.10 during trading on Monday, reaching $204.35. 1,174,954 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,832,044. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The company has a market capitalization of $45.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.10 and a beta of 0.67. Cheniere Energy has a 1 year low of $152.88 and a 1 year high of $257.65. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $221.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $212.44.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $4.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.44 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 20.71% and a return on equity of 37.19%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.98%. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is currently 14.05%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on LNG shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. TD Cowen raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $242.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $195.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $234.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $277.00 price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $239.79.

Insider Activity at Cheniere Energy

In other news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the director now directly owns 33,934 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,448,852.34. This trade represents a 20.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter worth $2,127,000. Fractal Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 31.0% during the 4th quarter. Fractal Investments LLC now owns 59,200 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $12,720,000 after purchasing an additional 14,000 shares during the period. Anderson Hoagland & Co. acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,460,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised 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 period. Finally, Insight Wealth Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $4,455,000. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.