Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Given New $322.00 Price Target at Bank of America

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) had its target price boosted by Bank of America from $296.00 to $322.00 in a report published on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the energy company’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup dropped their price target on Cheniere Energy from $283.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Cheniere Energy from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Barclays upped their price target on Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price target on Cheniere Energy from $266.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $267.94.

Cheniere Energy Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock opened at $280.59 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.94. The company has a market capitalization of $58.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.55 and a beta of 0.25. Cheniere Energy has a 1 year low of $186.20 and a 1 year high of $299.49. The company’s fifty day moving average is $225.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $218.42.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.90 by $6.78. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 26.68% and a return on equity of 32.04%. The business had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.48 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.33 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th were issued a dividend of $0.555 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is presently 9.14%.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,219,557 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $4,124,870,000 after acquiring an additional 414,022 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2.8% during 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 acquiring an additional 167,622 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $957,425,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Cheniere Energy by 12.5% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,279,078 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $443,031,000 after purchasing an additional 253,469 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 134,695 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Cheniere Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Geopolitical supply shock: Missile strikes on Qatar’s Ras Laffan have taken roughly 12.8 million tonnes of LNG offline and could take years to repair, tightening global LNG supply and lifting prices — a direct demand tailwind for U.S. exporters like Cheniere. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade and higher target: Bank of America raised its price target to $322 and reiterated a Buy, giving additional analyst support to the rally and signaling ~15% upside vs. recent levels. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Long‑term contract wins and demand headlines: Announcements of increased orders (e.g., from Thailand) and coverage highlighting U.S. exporters benefiting from the Ras Laffan damage helped push LNG toward record highs and underpin longer‑term revenue visibility. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum and options activity: Heavy call buying and intraday moves to all‑time highs signaled strong speculative and institutional demand, amplifying short‑term upside pressure. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Debt financing completed: Cheniere closed a private senior notes offering (~$1.75B total disclosed across filings), which raises liquidity for operations/expansion but also increases leverage and interest obligations. Investors weigh use of proceeds vs. higher debt service. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Market‑wide energy rally context: Broader crude and energy market volatility (Brent/WTI surges tied to Middle East tensions) is supporting the sector, not just LNG names — means Cheniere’s move is partly macro-driven. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Short‑term profit‑taking / overbought warnings: After a sharp run to record highs, technical indicators and commentary flagged LNG as overbought; some investors are trimming positions, helping push the stock down today. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Fund reallocation / selling pressure: Coverage noting a significant slide and fund commentary (TimesSquare letter referenced) suggests some institutional rebalancing or headline-driven selling contributed to earlier volatility. Article Title

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.