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

Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the nineteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, fifteen have given a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $293.50.

Several research analysts have issued reports on LNG shares. UBS Group set a $290.00 price objective on Cheniere Energy in a research note on Wednesday. Bank of America increased their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $296.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Barclays increased their target price on Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 21st.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Cheniere Energy stock opened at $241.77 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $264.03 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $227.50. Cheniere Energy has a 52-week low of $186.20 and a 52-week high of $300.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.76 and a beta of 0.07.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.25 by ($20.90). Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 38.95% and a net margin of 7.23%.The company had revenue of $5.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.69 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy will post 15.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 11th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.51%.

Cheniere Energy announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, February 26th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the energy company to buy up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cheniere Energy

In other news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $8,700,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This represents a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total value of $6,473,141.08. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at $18,622,720. The trade was a 25.79% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Cheniere Energy in the first quarter valued at about $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in Cheniere Energy in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Strive Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 250.0% in the third quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 140 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

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.