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

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is positive: Cheniere Energy has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating from 20 brokerages, including 15 buys and two strong buys. The average 12-month price target is approximately $305.65, versus a recent price of $278.37.
• Quarterly results were mixed: Cheniere reported $3.02 in adjusted EPS, below the $3.11 consensus estimate, but revenue of $5.73 billion exceeded forecasts and increased 23.5% year over year.
• Shareholders received a dividend: The company paid a quarterly dividend of $0.555 per share, or $2.22 annualized, representing a yield of about 0.8%. Institutional investors own approximately 87.3% of the stock.

Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, fifteen have issued a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $305.6471.

Several brokerages have commented on LNG. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $283.00 price target for the company. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Zacks Research downgraded Cheniere Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings raised Cheniere Energy from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Scotiabank raised their target price on Cheniere Energy from $290.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

LNG opened at $278.37 on Monday. Cheniere Energy has a 1 year low of $186.20 and a 1 year high of $300.89. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $269.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $258.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.49 billion and a PE ratio of 20.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.97, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.87.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The energy company reported $3.02 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.11 by ($0.09). Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 29.80% and a net margin of 13.57%.The firm had revenue of $5.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.92 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $7.30 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 23.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Cheniere Energy will post 16.31 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th were paid a dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio is 16.53%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Talon Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in Cheniere Energy by 33.9% in the second quarter. Talon Private Wealth LLC now owns 11,525 shares of the energy company's stock worth $2,754,000 after purchasing an additional 2,920 shares in the last quarter. Palogic Value Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $825,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 150,826 shares of the energy company's stock worth $36,049,000 after buying an additional 6,366 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 65.6% in the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 46,113 shares of the energy company's stock worth $11,021,000 after acquiring an additional 18,275 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $545,000. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company's stock.

About Cheniere Energy

Cheniere Energy, Inc is a Houston-based energy company focused on the production, liquefaction, transportation and export of liquefied natural gas (LNG). The company purchases natural gas and processes it at its liquefaction facilities before shipping LNG to customers in international markets. Cheniere also provides natural gas pipeline, storage and other services that support its LNG operations.

Cheniere operates the Sabine Pass LNG facility in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, and the Corpus Christi LNG facility in South Texas.

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