Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $195.00.

LNG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Monday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $178.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $194.00 to $199.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $208.00 to $204.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 9th.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 0.5 %

LNG opened at $190.83 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.63, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.02. Cheniere Energy has a fifty-two week low of $152.31 and a fifty-two week high of $193.16. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $182.51 and its 200 day moving average is $170.65. The stock has a market cap of $43.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.17 and a beta of 0.94.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The energy company reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $1.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.04 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 27.05% and a return on equity of 39.42%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy will post 9.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 7th were issued a $0.775 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 7th. This is an increase from Cheniere Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. This represents a $3.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.62%. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is 9.28%.

Cheniere Energy declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Monday, June 17th that permits the company to buyback $4.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the energy company to purchase up to 9.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Octavia Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Octavia Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,498 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $269,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Signature Wealth Management Group grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Signature Wealth Management Group now owns 4,758 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $832,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Sapient Capital LLC grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Sapient Capital LLC now owns 7,514 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,351,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its stake in Cheniere Energy by 57.6% in the 2nd quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 186 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Finally, E&G Advisors LP grew its stake in Cheniere Energy by 5.2% in the 1st quarter. E&G Advisors LP now owns 1,420 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $229,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Company Profile

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.