Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $2.13 EPS

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) posted its earnings results on Thursday. The energy company reported $3.84 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by $2.13, Briefing.com reports. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 28.55% and a return on equity of 48.19%. The firm had revenue of $3.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.52 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $5.61 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 19.6% on a year-over-year basis.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of LNG traded up $3.30 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $183.17. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,645,285 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,892,294. 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 1-year low of $152.31 and a 1-year high of $184.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.92 and a beta of 0.96. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $171.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $164.10.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.435 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 9th. This represents a $1.74 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays raised their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $194.00 to $199.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. TD Cowen raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $178.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $214.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $162.00 price objective for the company. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $223.00 to $206.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $196.40.

Cheniere Energy declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Monday, June 17th that allows the company to buyback $4.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the energy company to repurchase up to 9.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.