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

Key Points

• Consensus "Moderate Buy": Twenty analysts cover Cheniere, with 17 buys, 1 strong buy and 2 holds, and an average 12‑month target of $293 as several brokers (e.g., Jefferies, Goldman, BMO, RBC) recently raised price targets.
• Strong quarterly beat and shareholder returns: Cheniere reported EPS of $10.68 (vs. $3.90 est.) and year‑over‑year revenue growth of 22.9%, while its Board authorized a $10 billion share repurchase (≈21.1% of shares) and initiated a quarterly dividend of $0.555.
• Market position and insider activity: The stock opened near $263 with a market cap of $55.3B and a PE of ~10.8, but recent insider selling by the EVP and CFO reduced their holdings, while institutional investors own about 87% of the shares.

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the twenty ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seventeen have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $293.00.

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $286.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $338.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 27th.

Key Stories Impacting Cheniere Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Middle East tensions are tightening global LNG supply, and several analysts/coverage pieces say Cheniere’s scale and contract visibility make it a likely beneficiary of stronger international demand. Is Cheniere Energy the LNG Stock to Buy on Mideast Tension?
• Positive Sentiment: Natural‑gas prices look set to rebound, which would support higher realized prices and EBITDA for exporters; coverage specifically calls out Cheniere as a primary beneficiary. Natural Gas Looks Ready to Rebound. Cheniere and Expand Energy Should Benefit.
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raised its price target materially (recent coverage highlights a raise to $330) and expects strong Q1 EBITDA, signaling bullish analyst conviction about Cheniere’s ability to lock long‑term deals amid tighter markets. Cheniere Energy (LNG) Poised to Lock In Long-Term Deals as Middle East Reshapes LNG Markets
• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank nudged its price target higher to $288 and kept an outperform/sector‑positive stance, reinforcing buy‑side momentum from multiple brokers. Benzinga coverage of Scotiabank note
• Neutral Sentiment: Market writeups (and investor Q&As) note soaring natural‑gas prices and explore whether Cheniere is a buy at current levels — useful context but not a hard directional catalyst by itself. Natural gas prices are soaring. Should you buy Cheniere here?
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan trimmed its price target (coverage notes a cut to ~$325) despite expecting a strong Q1, signaling at least one large shop is more cautious on forward upside — a check on unanimous bullishness. JPMorgan Lowers Cheniere Energy (LNG) Price Target Despite Strong Q1 Expectations

Cheniere Energy Stock Up 2.5%

LNG opened at $263.04 on Friday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $253.35 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $224.02. The company has a market capitalization of $55.28 billion, a PE ratio of 10.82 and a beta of 0.14. Cheniere Energy has a 1-year low of $186.20 and a 1-year high of $300.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.90 by $6.78. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 32.04% and a net margin of 26.68%.The firm had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.48 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.33 EPS. Cheniere Energy's revenue was up 22.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy will post 11.69 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, February 26th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the energy company to reacquire up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 6th were given a dividend of $0.555 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.14%.

Insider Activity at Cheniere Energy

In other news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total transaction of $6,473,141.08. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at $18,622,720. This trade represents a 25.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $8,700,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at $26,143,800. This trade represents a 24.97% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Cheniere Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Viking Fund Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 66.7% during the fourth quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 45,000 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $8,748,000 after buying an additional 18,000 shares during the period. Railway Pension Investments Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 62.9% during the 3rd quarter. Railway Pension Investments Ltd now owns 777,200 shares of the energy company's stock worth $182,626,000 after acquiring an additional 300,100 shares during the last quarter. M&G PLC boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 49.6% during the 3rd quarter. M&G PLC now owns 556,285 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $130,727,000 after acquiring an additional 184,520 shares during the period. Waverton Investment Management Ltd grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 35.3% in the 3rd quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd now owns 196,819 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $46,244,000 after acquiring an additional 51,326 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,460,762 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $343,250,000 after acquiring an additional 163,861 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.

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