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

Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $198.64.

LNG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $178.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $214.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Cheniere Energy in a research report on Monday, June 24th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. UBS Group dropped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $223.00 to $206.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic started coverage on Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $162.00 target price for the company.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of LNG. Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the first quarter worth about $26,000. Lynx Investment Advisory bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Cooksen Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the first quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of LNG opened at $174.92 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $162.20. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58. Cheniere Energy has a 52-week low of $152.31 and a 52-week high of $183.46. The company has a market cap of $40.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.52 and a beta of 0.96.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 3rd. The energy company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.30 by ($0.17). The business had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.97 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 28.55% and a return on equity of 48.19%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 41.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.89 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Cheniere Energy will post 8.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 9th will be issued a $0.435 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 9th. This represents a $1.74 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.48%.

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.