Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Given New $280.00 Price Target at Citigroup

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) had its price objective lowered by Citigroup from $283.00 to $280.00 in a report published on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the energy company’s stock.

LNG has been the topic of several other reports. Jefferies Financial Group set a $290.00 price objective on Cheniere Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $278.00 price target (up previously from $275.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Friday, October 24th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $254.00 price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Cheniere Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $284.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $268.06.

Cheniere Energy Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of LNG stock opened at $193.53 on Monday. Cheniere Energy has a fifty-two week low of $186.20 and a fifty-two week high of $257.65. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $200.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $221.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.24 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.94.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The energy company reported $4.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.75 by $2.00. The company had revenue of $4.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.87 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 21.12% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.93 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Cheniere Energy will post 11.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 7th were paid a $0.555 dividend. This is an increase from Cheniere Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 7th. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is currently 12.37%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director W Benjamin Moreland acquired 5,000 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 4th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $208.22 per share, for a total transaction of $1,041,100.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 9,856 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,052,216.32. This represents a 102.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Altman Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 0.4% during the second quarter. Altman Advisors Inc. now owns 10,206 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,409,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC grew its stake in Cheniere Energy by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 3,268 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $768,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in Cheniere Energy by 0.9% during the third quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,385 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $1,265,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. lifted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 7.3% in the third quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 688 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $162,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Howard Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 3.3% in the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,488 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $350,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Cheniere Energy

Cheniere Energy, Inc is a U.S.-based energy company that develops, owns and operates liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure and markets LNG to global customers. The company’s core activities include natural gas liquefaction, long‑term and short‑term LNG sales and marketing, and the associated midstream services required to move gas from production basins to international markets. Cheniere focuses on converting domestic natural gas into LNG for export, providing a bridge between North American supply and overseas demand.

Cheniere’s principal operating assets are large-scale LNG export terminals located on the U.S.