LNG News: Cheniere Energy, Inc. (LNG) Moves Up in Market Cap Rank, Chevron Corporation (CVX) Agrees to Pay $2M Fines, Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (CLNE) CEO Andrew Littlefair

Editor’s Note: Related tickers: Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSEMKT:LNG), Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX), Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (NASDAQ:CLNE), F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:FFIV)

Cheniere Energy Moves Up In Market Cap Rank, Passing F5 Networks (Forbes)
In the latest look at stocks ordered by largest market capitalization, Russell 3000 component Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSEMKT:LNG) was identified as having a larger market cap than the smaller end of the S&P 500, for example F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:FFIV), according to The Online Investor. Many beginning investors look at one stock trading at $10 and another trading at $20 and mistakenly think the latter company is worth twice as much — that of course is a completely meaningless comparison without knowing how many shares of each company exist. But comparing market capitalization (factoring in those share counts) creates a true “apples-to-apples” comparison of the value of two stocks. In the case of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSEMKT:LNG), the market cap is now $7.01B, versus F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:FFIV) at $6.99B.

Chevron Agrees to Pay $2M for Calif Refinery Fire (ABC News)
Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) on Monday agreed to pay $2 million in fines and restitution and pleaded no contest to six charges in connection with a fire at its refinery in the San Francisco Bay Area city of Richmond. Chevron entered the plea to charges filed by the California Attorney General’s Office and the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office, including failing to correct deficiencies in equipment and failing to require the use of certain equipment to protect employees from potential harm. The Aug. 6, 2012, fire sent thousands of people to the hospital, many complaining of respiratory problems. Both Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) and government investigations have determined that corrosion in a pipe caused a leak that sparked the fire, sending a plume of black smoke over nearby residential areas.

Clean Energy Fuels Corp. CEO Andrew Littlefair Sells 8,000 Shares (CLNE) (Zolmax)
Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (NASDAQ:CLNE) CEO Andrew Littlefair sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occured on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.01, for a total transaction of $104,080.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 358,049 shares of the company’s stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC. CLNE has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Analysts at Jefferies Group reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (NASDAQ:CLNE) in a research note to investors on Wednesday, July 10th. They now have a $14.00 price target on the stock, up previously from $12.00.

3 to Watch: CVX, HST & VIA (CNBC)

Cheniere Energy (LNG) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.33 EPS (Watch List News)
Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSEMKT:LNG) issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday. The company reported ($0.71) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.38) by $0.33, ARN reports. The company had revenue of $67.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $66.10 million. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. A number of research firms have recently commented on LNG. Analysts at TheStreet reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSEMKT:LNG) in a research note to investors on Tuesday, July 9th. On the ratings front, analysts at Credit Suisse initiated coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note to investors on Tuesday, July 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock.

Chevron Could Earn $13 Per Share In 2013 (Seeking Alpha)
Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX)’s Q2 earnings last week were a disappointment and as a result the stock dropped 1.2% on Friday. However, Chevron vastly outperformed competitors ExxonMobil (XOM) and Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A) and the company has a shot at earning $13 or more for full year 2013. Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX)’s Q2 earnings were $5.4 billion, or $2.77/share. That was down 24% from the same quarter last year, but compares favorably with peers Exxon (down -57%) and Shell, also down -57%. A closer look at CVX’s supplemental earnings release show things are not so bad after all.