Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Shares Gap Down - What's Next?

Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) gapped down prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $244.28, but opened at $234.63. Cheniere Energy shares last traded at $230.76, with a volume of 727,170 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on LNG. Scotiabank reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Raymond James Financial restated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wall Street Zen lowered Cheniere Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and set a $262.00 price target (up from $253.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $258.00 to $271.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $260.36.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $235.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $229.15. The stock has a market cap of $50.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.52 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.19.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The energy company reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.81 by ($1.24). Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 18.37% and a return on equity of 32.62%. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.73 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.13 EPS. Cheniere Energy's revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 18th. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 8th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.89%. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.63%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.93, for a total value of $1,057,499.00. Following the sale, the director owned 29,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,312,236.69. This represents a 12.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $335,000. LPL Financial LLC increased its stake in Cheniere Energy by 27.0% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 293,201 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $63,000,000 after purchasing an additional 62,338 shares in the last quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $317,000. TIAA Trust National Association increased its stake in Cheniere Energy by 16.1% in the fourth quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 2,034 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $437,000 after purchasing an additional 282 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Cheniere Energy by 9.6% in the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 168,451 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $37,477,000 after purchasing an additional 14,695 shares in the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.