Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Rating Increased to Overweight at Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a report released on Monday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They currently have $313.00 price target on the energy company’s stock, up from their previous price target of $236.00.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on LNG. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target 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. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Weiss Ratings raised Cheniere Energy from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $254.00 target price on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $277.00 to $301.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $275.53.

Cheniere Energy Trading Up 2.3%

Shares of NYSE:LNG opened at $287.39 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.83 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.94. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $227.82 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $218.47. Cheniere Energy has a 52-week low of $186.20 and a 52-week high of $299.49.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.33 EPS. Analysts expect that Cheniere Energy will post 11.69 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, February 26th that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the energy company to buy up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $335,000. MAI Capital Management boosted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 5.7% during the 2nd quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 4,786 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,165,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2.5% during the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,082,872 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $263,701,000 after purchasing an additional 26,806 shares in the last quarter. Cynosure Group LLC grew its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 11.4% during the second quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 1,721 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $419,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Titleist Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1.5% in the second quarter. Titleist Asset Management LLC now owns 3,309 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $806,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

More Cheniere Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley upgraded U.S. LNG exporters (including Cheniere) to Buy/Overweight and raised its target, citing an upbeat LNG outlook amid supply disruptions — a direct catalyst for higher multiple and demand expectations. Venture Global, Cheniere upgraded to Buy at Morgan Stanley on upbeat LNG outlook
• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets raised its price target on Cheniere to $306 and kept an Outperform rating, supporting further upside from current levels by tightening the gap to Street expectations. BMO raises price target
• Positive Sentiment: Additional price‑target lift coverage (AmericanBankingNews reported a $322 target) and a consensus “Moderate Buy” posture from brokerages add to positive analyst momentum around LNG cash flows and dividend/earnings visibility. Cheniere Energy Price Target Raised to $322.00
• Positive Sentiment: Geopolitical tension in the Middle East (Iran war risks) is being cited by media and commentators as a potential supply shock that would benefit major U.S. LNG exporters like Cheniere by tightening global markets. Cheniere Energy stock is trading at new all-time highs
• Positive Sentiment: Cheniere’s CEO highlighted at CERAWeek that the Mideast situation underscores the need for diversified energy supplies — comments that reinforce Cheniere’s strategic role as the largest U.S. LNG exporter. CERAWEEK Mideast situation shows need for energy diversification, says Cheniere CEO
• Positive Sentiment: Industry commentators and analysts (Zacks, Investing.com, Seeking Alpha segments and a bullish YouTube interview) are promoting LNG names as core beneficiaries of a tightening market, which draws retail/institutional flows into LNG stocks. From LNG & KMI to OKLO & CEG: Joe Rinaldi Offers Energy Bull Cases
• Neutral Sentiment: Energy sector breadth is modestly positive (sector index higher), which supports Cheniere but doesn’t single it out; sector moves can amplify but also reverse with macro flows. Sector Update: Energy Stocks Higher Late Afternoon
• Negative Sentiment: One manager (Brown Advisory) noted Cheniere shares traded lower in Q4 in an investor letter — a reminder that stock can see periodic weakness and that active portfolio positioning can create headwinds. Cheniere Energy (LNG) Shares Traded Lower in Q4

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.