Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Downgraded by Erste Group Bank to “Hold”

Erste Group Bank cut shares of Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports.

LNG has been the subject of a number of other reports. Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $278.00 price objective (up from $275.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Friday, October 24th. Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Friday, August 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $275.00 target price on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $262.00 target price (up previously from $253.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Scotiabank restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $268.73.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:LNG opened at $211.73 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $227.07 and its 200-day moving average is $232.33. Cheniere Energy has a 1-year low of $188.70 and a 1-year high of $257.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. The stock has a market cap of $45.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.08 and a beta of 0.36.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The energy company reported $4.75 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.75 by $2.00. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 21.05% and a return on equity of 37.83%. The business had revenue of $4.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.87 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.93 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 18th. Investors of record on Friday, November 7th will be given a $0.555 dividend. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 7th. This is a positive change from Cheniere Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.37%.

Insider Transactions at Cheniere Energy

In other news, Director W Benjamin Moreland acquired 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 4th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $208.22 per share, for a total transaction of $1,041,100.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 9,856 shares in the company, valued at $2,052,216.32. The trade was a 102.97% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Cheniere Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 143.0% in the third quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 741 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $174,000 after buying an additional 436 shares in the last quarter. Abbot Financial Management Inc. lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Abbot Financial Management Inc. now owns 3,997 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $939,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc. now owns 34,183 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $8,032,000 after purchasing an additional 1,887 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP now owns 1,586,927 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $372,896,000 after purchasing an additional 29,567 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lake Street Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1.1% in the third quarter. Lake Street Private Wealth LLC now owns 22,140 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $5,202,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

About Cheniere Energy

Cheniere Energy, Inc, an energy infrastructure company, primarily engages in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) related businesses in the United States. It owns and operates the Sabine Pass LNG terminal in Cameron Parish, Louisiana; and the Corpus Christi LNG terminal near Corpus Christi, Texas. The company also owns Creole Trail pipeline, a 94-mile natural gas supply pipeline that interconnects the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal with several interstate and intrastate pipelines; and operates Corpus Christi pipeline, a 21.5-mile natural gas supply pipeline that interconnects the Corpus Christi LNG terminal with various interstate and intrastate natural gas pipelines.