Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) Receives Consensus Rating of "Buy" from Analysts

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Buy" from the seventeen analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, fifteen have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $260.36.

Several brokerages recently commented on LNG. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Cheniere Energy from $255.00 to $247.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $277.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Argus started coverage on Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. They set a "buy" rating and a $255.00 price target on the stock. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded Cheniere Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

LNG stock traded down $3.62 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $231.71. The company had a trading volume of 1,539,714 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,843,657. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $235.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $228.69. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24. The company has a market cap of $51.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.95 and a beta of 0.42. Cheniere Energy has a fifty-two week low of $167.66 and a fifty-two week high of $257.65.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The energy company reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.81 by ($1.24). The company had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.73 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 18.37% and a return on equity of 32.62%. Cheniere Energy's quarterly revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. Equities 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 8th. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 14.63%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.93, for a total transaction of $1,057,499.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 29,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,312,236.69. This trade represents a 12.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 134.1% in the 2nd quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 103 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 150.0% in the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 125 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Cooksen Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $38,000. 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.