Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. Acquires 23,414 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 103.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 46,060 shares of the energy company’s stock after acquiring an additional 23,414 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc.’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $7,429,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 27.1% in the 1st quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 29,235 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $4,715,000 after buying an additional 6,235 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $852,000. Sapient Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $1,283,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 28.9% during the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 198,555 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $33,895,000 after buying an additional 44,508 shares during the period. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC bought a new position in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter worth $1,144,000. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Cheniere Energy in a report on Monday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $162.00 price target on the stock. Barclays raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $194.00 to $199.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Cheniere Energy from $223.00 to $206.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $178.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $199.09.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LNG traded up $4.20 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $181.88. 2,222,673 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,900,212. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $167.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 1 year low of $152.31 and a 1 year high of $184.62. The firm has a market cap of $41.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.69 and a beta of 0.96.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 3rd. The energy company reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.30 by ($0.17). Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 28.55% and a return on equity of 48.19%. The company had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $6.89 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 41.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 8.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th will be paid a $0.435 dividend. This represents a $1.74 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 9th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.48%.

Cheniere Energy declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Monday, June 17th that allows the company to repurchase $4.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the energy company to reacquire up to 9.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.