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

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, sixteen have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $264.2353.

Several analysts have recently issued reports on LNG shares. Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $278.00 price objective (up from $275.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Friday, October 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $275.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $254.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $262.00 to $259.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $282.00 to $271.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Cheniere Energy news, Director W Benjamin Moreland purchased 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $208.22 per share, with a total value of $1,041,100.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 9,856 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,052,216.32. This represents a 102.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 2nd quarter worth about $957,425,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its stake in Cheniere Energy by 704.3% during the second quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 952,092 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $231,853,000 after buying an additional 833,723 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $142,688,000. Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $107,319,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 32.6% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,729,359 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $421,134,000 after acquiring an additional 425,106 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 0.7%

LNG stock opened at $211.57 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $199.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $218.11. Cheniere Energy has a 52 week low of $186.20 and a 52 week high of $246.42. The company has a market cap of $45.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.79, a P/E/G ratio of 6.65 and a beta of 0.26.

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

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 6th will be paid a $0.555 dividend. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 6th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.37%.

Cheniere Energy Company Profile

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.