Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $239.79.

A number of research firms recently issued reports on LNG. Scotiabank reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Argus began coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday. They set a “buy” rating and a $255.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $237.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $242.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.51, for a total value of $1,975,590.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 33,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,448,852.34. This trade represents a 20.96 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LNG. Objective Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. Objective Capital Management LLC now owns 1,851 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $398,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. 111 Capital bought a new position in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $996,000. Thoma Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $680,000. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ bought a new position in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $15,912,000. Finally, TFR Capital LLC. bought a new position in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $1,532,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LNG opened at $227.29 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.07. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $224.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $208.31. Cheniere Energy has a fifty-two week low of $152.88 and a fifty-two week high of $257.65. The firm has a market cap of $50.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.97 and a beta of 0.94.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $1.59. The company had revenue of $4.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.44 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 20.71% and a return on equity of 37.19%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Cheniere Energy will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.05%.

About Cheniere Energy

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.