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

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the thirteen ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twelve have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $234.25.

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $234.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $232.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Cheniere Energy from $204.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $253.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LNG. Forum Financial Management LP boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 2,822 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $606,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,463,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its stake in Cheniere Energy by 10.3% during the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 95,632 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $20,548,000 after buying an additional 8,944 shares during the last quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC increased its position in Cheniere Energy by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC now owns 12,386 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,661,000 after buying an additional 628 shares during the period. Finally, Vega Investment Solutions purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $190,000. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

LNG stock opened at $226.80 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $222.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $203.10. Cheniere Energy has a 12-month low of $152.31 and a 12-month high of $257.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. The company has a market capitalization of $50.89 billion, a PE ratio of 14.48 and a beta of 0.98.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $1.59. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 22.70% and a return on equity of 41.44%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy will post 12.77 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is 12.77%.

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.