Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from 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 company, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twelve have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $235.75.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on LNG shares. 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 report on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $232.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. StockNews.com upgraded Cheniere Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $237.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, 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 report on Tuesday, January 21st.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 2.7 %

Shares of NYSE LNG opened at $220.90 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.07. Cheniere Energy has a 52 week low of $152.31 and a 52 week high of $257.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.52 and a beta of 0.98. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $223.08 and its 200 day moving average is $203.61.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $1.59. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 37.19% and a net margin of 20.71%. The company had revenue of $4.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.44 billion. Sell-side analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is 14.05%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 170.5% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 119 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. WR Wealth Planners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 373.1% in the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 123 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. 87.26% of the stock is 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.