Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Decreases Stock Position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lowered its stake in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 3.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 10,406 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 336 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $2,236,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased 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 worth $99,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 2,339 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $503,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 3,346 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $719,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Hourglass Capital LLC increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Hourglass Capital LLC now owns 10,950 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $2,353,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Finally, Chemistry Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Chemistry Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,241 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $267,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on LNG. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $237.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $195.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Scotiabank reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $242.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $236.33.

Insider Activity at Cheniere Energy

In related news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the company’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 value of $1,975,590.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 33,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,448,852.34. This represents a 20.96 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of LNG opened at $218.61 on Monday. 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 business’s 50 day moving average price is $224.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $207.63. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $152.88 and a 52 week high of $257.65. The stock has a market cap of $48.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.36 and a beta of 0.94.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $1.59. The firm had revenue of $4.44 billion for 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.91%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.05%.

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.