Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Stock Rating Upgraded by Sanford C. Bernstein

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) was upgraded by analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Zacks Research lowered Cheniere Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Barclays increased their price target on Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Cheniere Energy from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $297.71.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LNG opened at $231.67 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $248.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $231.97. The company has a market cap of $48.55 billion and a PE ratio of 38.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55. Cheniere Energy has a twelve month low of $186.20 and a twelve month high of $300.89.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.25 by ($20.90). The company had revenue of $5.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.69 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 38.95%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.57 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Cheniere Energy will post 14.93 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, February 26th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the energy company to reacquire up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cheniere Energy

In other Cheniere Energy news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total transaction of $6,473,141.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,622,720. The trade was a 25.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $8,700,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at $26,143,800. The trade was a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Cheniere Energy

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LNG. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Cheniere Energy by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,219,557 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $4,124,870,000 after buying an additional 414,022 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in Cheniere Energy by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,174,695 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,200,299,000 after buying an additional 167,622 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $731,774,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Cheniere Energy by 12.5% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,279,078 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $443,031,000 after buying an additional 253,469 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Cheniere Energy by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,263,826 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $440,047,000 after buying an additional 134,695 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

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.