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

Key Points

• Cheniere Energy, Inc. has received a consensus rating of "Buy" from seventeen analysts, with an average 12-month price target of $260.71.
• The company reported $7.30 earnings per share for the last quarter, significantly exceeding analyst expectations of $2.35, and revenue increased by 42.8% year-over-year.
• Cheniere Energy declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, with a dividend yield of 0.9% and a payout ratio of 14.63%.

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of "Buy" from the seventeen analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $260.7143.

LNG has been the topic of several analyst reports. Scotiabank reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $258.00 to $271.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $252.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $262.00 price objective (up previously from $253.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LNG opened at $230.84 on Friday. The company's 50 day moving average price is $235.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $228.82. Cheniere Energy has a 12-month low of $175.14 and a 12-month high of $257.65. The firm has a market cap of $51.20 billion, a PE ratio of 13.48 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The energy company reported $7.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.35 by $4.95. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 21.05% and a return on equity of 39.21%. The firm had revenue of $4.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.48 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.84 EPS. The business's revenue was up 42.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Cheniere Energy will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 8th. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.63%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The shares were 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 $7,312,236.69. This trade represents a 12.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. lifted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 134.1% during the second quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 103 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Cheniere Energy by 473.7% in the second quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 109 shares of the energy company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. Hilltop National Bank bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the second quarter worth about $28,000. REAP Financial Group LLC raised its position in Cheniere Energy by 150.0% in the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 125 shares of the energy company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the second quarter worth about $30,000. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Company Profile

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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