Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $267.5333.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Cheniere Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $254.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Wednesday. Scotiabank cut their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $261.00 to $257.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $278.00 target price (up previously from $275.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target on Cheniere Energy from $274.00 to $271.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 11th.

Insider Transactions at Cheniere Energy

In other news, Director W Benjamin Moreland bought 5,000 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $208.22 per share, for a total transaction of $1,041,100.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 9,856 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,052,216.32. This trade represents a 102.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. grew its stake in Cheniere Energy by 134.1% in the 2nd quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 103 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the period. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 473.7% in the second quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 109 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Hilltop National Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the second quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

NYSE LNG opened at $190.46 on Friday. Cheniere Energy has a 1-year low of $186.20 and a 1-year high of $257.65. The company has a market capitalization of $41.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.61, a PEG ratio of 4.64 and a beta of 0.26. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $210.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $226.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The energy company reported $4.75 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.75 by $2.00. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 21.12%.The company had revenue of $4.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.87 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.93 earnings per share. Cheniere Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Cheniere Energy will post 11.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 18th. Investors of record on Friday, November 7th were paid a $0.555 dividend. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was 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%.

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.