Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Shares Gap Up - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Cheniere Energy's stock price opened at $233.28 after previously closing at $225.37, indicating positive market movement with a trading volume of over 1 million shares.
• Despite missing earnings estimates, reporting an EPS of $1.57 against a consensus of $2.81, the company saw a 28% year-over-year revenue increase to $5.44 billion.
• A quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share has been declared, reflecting a yield of 0.88% and a payout ratio of 14.63%.

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report)'s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $225.37, but opened at $233.28. Cheniere Energy shares last traded at $230.12, with a volume of 1,025,329 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on LNG shares. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $255.00 to $247.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Cheniere Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $258.00 to $271.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Wolfe Research lowered shares of Cheniere Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $260.36.

Cheniere Energy Stock Up 1.1%

The company's 50-day moving average is $235.04 and its 200 day moving average is $229.23. The company has a market capitalization of $50.53 billion, a PE ratio of 16.67 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 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.73 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.13 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 0.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 8th. Cheniere Energy's payout ratio is presently 14.63%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Neal A. Shear sold 4,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.93, for a total value of $1,057,499.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 29,733 shares of the company's stock, 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Altman Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 0.4% during the first quarter. Altman Advisors Inc. now owns 10,162 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $2,348,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1.1% during the first quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 4,212 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $975,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 14.0% during the first quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 390 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $90,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its position in Cheniere Energy by 5.0% in the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,007 shares of the energy company's stock worth $233,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BIP Wealth LLC increased its position in Cheniere Energy by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. BIP Wealth LLC now owns 3,545 shares of the energy company's stock worth $762,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company's stock.

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.

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