Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Shares Gap Down – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) gapped down before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $249.63, but opened at $244.00. Cheniere Energy shares last traded at $238.75, with a volume of 422,722 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $242.00 to $247.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays increased their target price on Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $232.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $234.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $231.64.

Cheniere Energy Stock Up 0.4 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $221.70 and a 200 day moving average of $196.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.97 and a beta of 0.99.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The energy company reported $3.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $2.06. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 41.44% and a net margin of 22.70%. The company had revenue of $3.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.76 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.37 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 12.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.77%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 170.5% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 119 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Adirondack Trust Co. acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.