Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Call Options on Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG)

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock traders purchased 6,119 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 92% compared to the average daily volume of 3,181 call options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on LNG shares. Bank of America dropped their price target on Cheniere Energy from $274.00 to $271.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $284.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Barclays cut their price target on Cheniere Energy from $262.00 to $259.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Zacks Research downgraded Cheniere Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Cheniere Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $265.59.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock opened at $207.18 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $199.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $219.51. Cheniere Energy has a 1-year low of $186.20 and a 1-year high of $246.42. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94. The company has a market cap of $44.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.54, a PEG ratio of 6.54 and a beta of 0.26.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The energy company reported $4.75 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.75 by $2.00. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 21.12%.The company had revenue of $4.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.87 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.93 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy will post 11.69 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 18th. Investors of record on Friday, November 7th were paid a $0.555 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 7th. This is a positive change from Cheniere Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.37%.

Insider Transactions at Cheniere Energy

In related news, Director W Benjamin Moreland acquired 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 4th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $208.22 per share, with a total value of $1,041,100.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 9,856 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,052,216.32. This trade represents a 102.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Cheniere Energy by 473.7% during the second quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 109 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Hilltop National Bank bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. 87.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Company Profile

Cheniere Energy, Inc is a U.S.-based energy company that develops, owns and operates liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure and markets LNG to global customers. The company’s core activities include natural gas liquefaction, long‑term and short‑term LNG sales and marketing, and the associated midstream services required to move gas from production basins to international markets. Cheniere focuses on converting domestic natural gas into LNG for export, providing a bridge between North American supply and overseas demand.

Cheniere’s principal operating assets are large-scale LNG export terminals located on the U.S.