Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $267.9412.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on LNG. Barclays boosted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $277.00 to $301.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $254.00 target price on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Wolfe Research set a $220.00 price target on Cheniere Energy and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 13th.

Cheniere Energy Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:LNG opened at $280.59 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $58.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.55 and a beta of 0.25. Cheniere Energy has a 12 month low of $186.20 and a 12 month high of $299.49. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $225.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $218.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.90 by $6.78. The firm had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 26.68% and a return on equity of 32.04%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $4.33 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy will post 11.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, February 26th that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the energy company to buy up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th were paid a $0.555 dividend. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is presently 9.14%.

Key Stories Impacting Cheniere Energy

Here are the key news stories impacting Cheniere Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Geopolitical supply shock: Missile strikes on Qatar’s Ras Laffan have taken roughly 12.8 million tonnes of LNG offline and could take years to repair, tightening global LNG supply and lifting prices — a direct demand tailwind for U.S. exporters like Cheniere. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade and higher target: Bank of America raised its price target to $322 and reiterated a Buy, giving additional analyst support to the rally and signaling ~15% upside vs. recent levels. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Long‑term contract wins and demand headlines: Announcements of increased orders (e.g., from Thailand) and coverage highlighting U.S. exporters benefiting from the Ras Laffan damage helped push LNG toward record highs and underpin longer‑term revenue visibility. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum and options activity: Heavy call buying and intraday moves to all‑time highs signaled strong speculative and institutional demand, amplifying short‑term upside pressure. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Debt financing completed: Cheniere closed a private senior notes offering (~$1.75B total disclosed across filings), which raises liquidity for operations/expansion but also increases leverage and interest obligations. Investors weigh use of proceeds vs. higher debt service. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Market‑wide energy rally context: Broader crude and energy market volatility (Brent/WTI surges tied to Middle East tensions) is supporting the sector, not just LNG names — means Cheniere’s move is partly macro-driven. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Short‑term profit‑taking / overbought warnings: After a sharp run to record highs, technical indicators and commentary flagged LNG as overbought; some investors are trimming positions, helping push the stock down today. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Fund reallocation / selling pressure: Coverage noting a significant slide and fund commentary (TimesSquare letter referenced) suggests some institutional rebalancing or headline-driven selling contributed to earlier volatility. Article Title

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $335,000. Wealthspire Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 1,511 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $368,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. DNB Asset Management AS grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 4.9% in the second quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 43,057 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $10,485,000 after buying an additional 2,030 shares in the last quarter. MAI Capital Management increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 5.7% during the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 4,786 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $1,165,000 after buying an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 32.6% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,729,359 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $421,134,000 after buying an additional 425,106 shares during the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.