Clusters of Insider Buying at Retail Energy Services Company and U.S. LNG-Exporter Cheniere Energy, Plus Other Noteworthy Insider Trading

Board Member at Studio Known for “The Hunger Games” Buys Shares Amid Share Price Recovery

One member of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. (USA) (NYSE:LGF)’s keeps buying more shares as the stock has embarked on a recovery path. Board member Gordon Crawford snatched up 40,000 shares on Thursday at prices that fell between $22.79 and $23.19 per share. After the recent purchase, Mr. Crawford currently owns an aggregate of 338,833 shares.

In late October, analysts at Morgan Stanley started coverage on the studio known for “The Hunger Games” with an ‘Overweight’ rating and a price target of $25. As some may already know, Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. (USA) (NYSE:LGF) agreed to acquire premium television network Starz (NASDAQ:STRZA) in late June for a total cash-and-stock consideration of around $4.4 billion, a deal set to diversify the acquirer’s business and make its financial performance less dependent on whether the company releases a hit movie or not. “Post merger, the investment thesis revolves primarily around Starz, which is showing top line strength from new, higher-margin digital distribution platforms,” said Morgan Stanley analysts late in October. The shares of Lions Gate Entertainment are 27% in the red this year. Ken Griffin’s Citadel Advisors LLC was the owner of 4.42 million shares of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. (USA) (NYSE:LGF) at the end of the September quarter.

Cluster of Insider Buying at the Sole U.S. Exporter of LNG

Three different insiders at Cheniere Energy Inc. (NYSEMKT:LNG) bought shares over the course of the past several days. To start with, Board member Samuel Jay Merksamer, a managing director of Carl Icahn’s Icahn Capital LP, bought 13,500 shares on Monday at a price tag of $35.57 each. After the recent purchase, Mr. Merksamer currently owns 18,634 shares. Sean N. Markowitz, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary since May 2016, acquired a new stake of 1,500 shares on Friday at a price of $36.18 each. Last but certainly not least, President and CEO Jack A. Fusco purchased 7,681 shares on Thursday and 7,685 shares on Friday at prices in the range of $37.40 to $37.50 per share. The 7,685-share block is held through Fusco Energy Investment LLP, which currently owns 130,628 shares. Mr. Fusco also holds a direct ownership stake of 367,009 shares following the purchase.

The shares of the sole U.S. exporter of liquefied natural gas have dropped slightly in the past month or so, partly owing to a decline in crude oil prices. While the LNG-related businesses operated by the Houston-based energy company have little direct exposure to oil, the pricing mechanism for natural gas and LNG are affected by crude oil prices. Cheniere Energy Inc. (NYSEMKT:LNG)’s shares are down 3% this year. John Griffin’s Blue Ridge Capital reported owning 1.47 million shares of Cheniere Energy Inc. (NYSEMKT:LNG) through the latest round of 13Fs.

The final page of this insider trading article discusses several insider sales observed at two other companies.