Cheniere Energy Partners (NYSE:CQP) Cut to “Sell” at Stifel Nicolaus

Stifel Nicolaus downgraded shares of Cheniere Energy Partners (NYSE:CQP) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has $51.00 price objective on the stock, up from their prior price objective of $50.00.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Cheniere Energy Partners from $49.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Barclays lifted their price target on Cheniere Energy Partners from $46.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th.

Cheniere Energy Partners Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CQP opened at $62.31 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.63 and a beta of 0.76. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $58.78. Cheniere Energy Partners has a twelve month low of $45.51 and a twelve month high of $66.47.

Cheniere Energy Partners (NYSE:CQP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.07 by ($0.02). Cheniere Energy Partners had a negative return on equity of 325.95% and a net margin of 28.84%. The firm had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.37 billion. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy Partners will post 4.14 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Partners Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $0.775 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This is a positive change from Cheniere Energy Partners’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.04. This represents a $3.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.98%. Cheniere Energy Partners’s dividend payout ratio is presently 72.77%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheniere Energy Partners

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy Partners by 21.9% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 764,858 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,264,000 after buying an additional 137,477 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in Cheniere Energy Partners by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 2,377,887 shares of the company’s stock valued at $126,313,000 after acquiring an additional 122,956 shares in the last quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd boosted its position in Cheniere Energy Partners by 59.4% during the 4th quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 96,491 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,126,000 after acquiring an additional 35,954 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy Partners in the 3rd quarter worth $1,286,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy Partners in the 4th quarter worth $1,365,000. 46.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Partners Company Profile

Cheniere Energy Partners, L.P., through its subsidiaries, provides liquefied natural gas (LNG) to integrated energy companies, utilities, and energy trading companies worldwide. The company owns and operates natural gas liquefaction and export facility at the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal located in Cameron Parish, Louisiana.