Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Announces Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $1.59 EPS

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) released its earnings results on Thursday. The energy company reported $4.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $1.59, Zacks reports. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 41.44% and a net margin of 22.70%.

Cheniere Energy Stock Up 2.6 %

Shares of LNG stock traded up $5.59 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $224.40. 1,598,804 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,355,986. Cheniere Energy has a 1 year low of $152.31 and a 1 year high of $257.65. The stock has a market cap of $50.35 billion, a PE ratio of 14.36 and a beta of 0.98. 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 stock’s fifty day moving average price is $222.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $203.10.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is 12.77%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on LNG shares. UBS Group lifted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $232.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $253.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $242.00 to $247.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $242.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $234.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $234.25.

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.