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

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

A number of other brokerages have also commented on LNG. Barclays lifted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Weiss Ratings lowered Cheniere Energy from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, UBS Group set a $290.00 price objective on Cheniere Energy in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $297.71.

Cheniere Energy Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE LNG opened at $231.67 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $48.55 billion and a PE ratio of 38.10. The business has a fifty day moving average of $248.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $231.97. Cheniere Energy has a 52-week low of $186.20 and a 52-week high of $300.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.57.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.25 by ($20.90). Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 38.95%. The business had revenue of $5.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Cheniere Energy will post 14.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, 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 transaction of $8,700,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at $26,143,800. The trade was a 24.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total value of $6,473,141.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at $18,622,720. This trade represents a 25.79% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LNG. Strive Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Accordant Advisory Group Inc acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. 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.