Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, sixteen have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $264.2353.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on LNG shares. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $282.00 to $271.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $278.00 target price (up from $275.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Citigroup cut their price target on Cheniere Energy from $283.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $251.00 price target on Cheniere Energy in a report on Sunday, January 25th. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded Cheniere Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of LNG. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the second quarter valued at about $957,425,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 704.3% during the 2nd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 952,092 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $231,853,000 after buying an additional 833,723 shares during the last quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $142,688,000. Holocene Advisors LP bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $107,319,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 32.6% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,729,359 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $421,134,000 after acquiring an additional 425,106 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LNG opened at $211.57 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $199.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $218.11. The company has a market cap of $45.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.79, a PEG ratio of 6.65 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.94. Cheniere Energy has a one year low of $186.20 and a one year high of $246.42.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The energy company reported $4.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.75 by $2.00. The firm had revenue of $4.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.87 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 21.12%.Cheniere Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.93 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 6th will be issued a $0.555 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 6th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.37%.

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.