Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Upgraded to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report released on Saturday morning.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on the stock. UBS Group set a $290.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Scotiabank reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $327.00 to $334.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Benchmark reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $298.88.

Cheniere Energy Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of LNG stock opened at $269.27 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $244.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $242.07. Cheniere Energy has a twelve month low of $186.20 and a twelve month high of $300.89. The company has a market capitalization of $56.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.29 and a beta of -0.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.51%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LNG. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $731,774,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Cheniere Energy by 174.3% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,244,268 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $636,834,000 after purchasing an additional 1,426,058 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 555.0% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 810,138 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $157,483,000 after buying an additional 686,459 shares during the period. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 6,513.7% in the first quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 564,742 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $160,251,000 after buying an additional 556,203 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 518.8% during the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 577,533 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $112,267,000 after buying an additional 484,198 shares in the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.