Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Raised to "Strong-Buy" at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded Cheniere Energy from “hold” to “strong-buy,” even as another firm, Weiss Ratings, downgraded it. Overall, analysts still view the stock favorably, with a consensus rating of “Buy.”
• The stock fell 2.0% and opened at $239.45, below its recent highs but above its 200-day average. Cheniere has a market cap of about $50.2 billion and a relatively low beta of 0.07.
• Recent fundamentals were mixed: the company missed EPS expectations in its latest quarter but beat revenue estimates and posted 7.8% year-over-year revenue growth. Cheniere also authorized a $10 billion share buyback, signaling confidence in the stock’s value.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on LNG. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Cheniere Energy from a "buy (b)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price 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, April 14th. UBS Group set a $290.00 target price on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $293.50.

Cheniere Energy Trading Down 2.0%

NYSE:LNG opened at $239.45 on Tuesday. Cheniere Energy has a 12 month low of $186.20 and a 12 month high of $300.89. The firm has a market cap of $50.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.38 and a beta of 0.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55. The company's 50 day moving average is $264.29 and its 200-day moving average is $227.25.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The energy company reported ($16.65) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.25 by ($20.90). Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 38.95%. The firm had revenue of $5.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.57 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy will post 15.29 EPS for the current year.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Cheniere Energy

In other Cheniere Energy news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $8,700,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 87,146 shares of the company's stock, valued at $26,143,800. The trade was a 24.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at $18,622,720. This trade represents a 25.79% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LNG. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $335,000. Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 13.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 8,825 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $2,149,000 after purchasing an additional 1,035 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 23.1% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 183,153 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $44,600,000 after purchasing an additional 34,422 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 103,040 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $25,092,000 after purchasing an additional 805 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 87.0% in the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 36,502 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $8,889,000 after purchasing an additional 16,977 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company's stock.

About Cheniere Energy

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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