BMO Capital Markets Begins Coverage on Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG)

Key Points

• BMO Capital Markets has initiated coverage on Cheniere Energy, assigning an "outperform" rating with a price target of $268.00, suggesting a potential upside of 14.47% from the current stock price.
• The consensus rating for Cheniere Energy is "Buy", with an average price target of $263.60, reflecting optimistic predictions from multiple research firms.
• Cheniere Energy reported significantly strong earnings, posting $7.30 earnings per share for the last quarter, significantly surpassing the estimated $2.35.

BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage set an "outperform" rating and a $268.00 price target on the energy company's stock. BMO Capital Markets' price target indicates a potential upside of 14.47% from the stock's current price.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on LNG. Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $288.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Scotiabank reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $262.00 target price (up previously from $253.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $267.00 to $284.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $263.60.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

LNG opened at $234.12 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $51.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.67 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $234.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $231.59. Cheniere Energy has a 52-week low of $177.56 and a 52-week high of $257.65.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The energy company reported $7.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $4.95. The company had revenue of $4.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 21.05% and a return on equity of 37.83%. Cheniere Energy's revenue was up 42.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.84 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy will post 11.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in LNG. Altman Advisors Inc. raised its position in Cheniere Energy by 0.4% during the first quarter. Altman Advisors Inc. now owns 10,162 shares of the energy company's stock worth $2,348,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 4,212 shares of the energy company's stock worth $975,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 14.0% during the 1st quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 390 shares of the energy company's stock worth $90,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 5.0% in the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,007 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $233,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bailard Inc. boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 6,663 shares of the energy company's stock worth $1,623,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. 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.

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