Versant Capital Management Inc Buys 229 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 75.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 533 shares of the energy company’s stock after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $115,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of LNG. Castellan Group bought a new position in Cheniere Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $5,515,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the third quarter valued at $159,000. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the third quarter valued at $225,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 4.1% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 49,034 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $8,818,000 after purchasing an additional 1,922 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aldebaran Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 26.1% during the third quarter. Aldebaran Financial Inc. now owns 5,195 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $934,000 after buying an additional 1,076 shares during the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:LNG opened at $222.48 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $211.08 and a 200 day moving average of $190.69. The company has a market cap of $49.92 billion, a PE ratio of 14.21 and a beta of 0.97. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $152.31 and a 12-month high of $228.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The energy company reported $3.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $2.06. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 22.70% and a return on equity of 41.44%. The firm had revenue of $3.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.76 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.37 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.25 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 18th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on LNG. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $234.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $199.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $204.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. UBS Group increased their price target on Cheniere Energy from $232.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on Cheniere Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $215.00 price objective for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $225.00.

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.