Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Put Options on Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG)

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Stock investors acquired 16,352 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 266% compared to the typical volume of 4,470 put options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wolfe Research set a $220.00 target price on Cheniere Energy and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $236.00 price target on Cheniere Energy and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $274.00 to $271.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $264.89.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LNG. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth $335,000. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 15.8% in the second quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 17,380 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $4,232,000 after buying an additional 2,377 shares in the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 4.0% in the second quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 14,406 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $3,508,000 after buying an additional 549 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in Cheniere Energy by 83.2% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 12,055 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,936,000 after acquiring an additional 5,474 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,515,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Up 1.4%

LNG opened at $253.76 on Friday. Cheniere Energy has a twelve month low of $186.20 and a twelve month high of $259.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $217.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $217.48. The company has a market cap of $53.34 billion, a PE ratio of 10.44 and a beta of 0.25.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.90 by $6.78. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 32.04% and a net margin of 26.68%.The company had revenue of $5.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.48 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.33 EPS. Cheniere Energy’s revenue was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Cheniere Energy will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, February 26th that permits the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the energy company to purchase up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th were paid a $0.555 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is currently 9.14%.

Cheniere Energy News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Cheniere Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Huge Q4 earnings beat and valuation focus after management expanded buyback capacity — the earnings surprise and expanded repurchase authorization are primary drivers behind the rally as they materially increase capital return expectations for shareholders. Cheniere Energy (LNG) Valuation Check After Q4 2025 Earnings Beat And Expanded Share Buyback
• Positive Sentiment: Board approved a roughly US$10.2 billion buyback authorization — among the largest in the sector, signaling strong confidence from management and directly supporting the share price through potential buybacks. Cheniere’s US$10.2b Buyback Puts Cash Flows And Debt In Focus
• Positive Sentiment: Sector-wide LNG bullishness as Qatar outage and supply tightness lift global gas prices — quant screens and analyst notes are spotlighting LNG names (including Cheniere) as beneficiaries of higher seaborne gas values. Quant ratings highlight LNG stocks as Qatar shutdown sparks global gas price surge
• Positive Sentiment: Broader energy rally and geopolitical risk (Strait of Hormuz tensions, IEA release) lifted oil and energy stocks, providing a favorable tailwind for Cheniere’s shares. Energy Stocks Like Occidental Have Lagged Oil Price Hikes. Why They’re Catching Up.
• Neutral Sentiment: Completed a private offering of ~US$1.75B in long‑dated senior notes (2036/2056) — proceeds go to refinancing, capex and general purposes; helps liquidity but increases leverage and deserves investor scrutiny. Is Cheniere’s New Long‑Dated Debt Issue Quietly Redefining LNG’s Capital Allocation Playbook?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyses and retrospectives highlight strong long‑term returns for Cheniere investors — useful context for long‑term holders but less of an immediate price catalyst. $100 Invested In Cheniere Energy 20 Years Ago Would Be Worth This Much Today
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector filing note: an investor sold a large Golar LNG position — sector flow data can create noise but this sale is specific to Golar, not Cheniere. This LNG Stock Is Up 32% in a Year, so Why Did One Investor Sell Off a $14 Million Position?
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually large put‑option activity — traders bought ~16,352 put contracts (≈+266% vs. normal), which could signal increased hedging or bearish bets and adds short‑term downside risk if selling pressure follows.

About Cheniere Energy

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.