Viking Fund Management LLC Buys 18,000 Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. $LNG

Key Points

• Viking Fund Management increased its stake in Cheniere by 66.7% in Q4, buying 18,000 shares to hold 45,000 shares worth about $8.75 million per its latest 13F filing.
• Analysts are broadly constructive—MarketBeat shows a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” with an average target of ~$277.71, and several banks have recently raised price targets and ratings amid tightening global LNG supplies.
• Cheniere reported a strong quarterly beat (EPS $10.68 vs. $3.90 est.) with revenue up 22.9% year‑over‑year, and the company announced a $0.555 quarterly dividend plus a $10 billion share buyback program (up to 21.1% of shares).

Viking Fund Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Free Report) by 66.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 45,000 shares of the energy company's stock after purchasing an additional 18,000 shares during the quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC's holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $8,748,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $335,000. MAI Capital Management raised its position in Cheniere Energy by 5.7% in the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 4,786 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $1,165,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2.5% during the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,082,872 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $263,701,000 after purchasing an additional 26,806 shares in the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 12.5% during the second quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,885 shares of the energy company's stock worth $703,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $3,059,000. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LNG has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wolfe Research set a $220.00 target price on shares of Cheniere Energy and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Thursday, February 26th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Cheniere Energy from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $277.71.

Cheniere Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Global supply shock and higher demand for U.S. LNG: QatarEnergy’s force majeure on LNG contracts and broader Middle East tensions are tightening global supplies, which benefits large U.S. exporters like Cheniere. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street upgrades and higher price targets: Morgan Stanley upgraded Cheniere to overweight with a much higher target, and other banks (Goldman Sachs, BMO) raised price targets and ratings — reinforcing a constructive institutional view driven by supply disruption. See Morgan Stanley coverage here. Article Title Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst EPS revisions: US Capital Advisors materially raised EPS forecasts across 2026–2028 (e.g., FY2026 to $13.53, FY2027 to $16.39), signaling higher expected earnings power that supports valuation. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Executive commentary underscores durable demand: Cheniere’s CEO highlighted at CERAWeek that Middle East instability highlights the need for diversified energy supplies—an endorsement of long-term demand for U.S. LNG. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Positive media attention: Jim Cramer and multiple analyst write-ups are highlighting LNG names (including Cheniere) as beneficiaries of the market squeeze, supporting retail interest but not new fundamental data. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Rising short interest: Short positions increased ~24% in March to ~4.55M shares (~2.2% of shares), indicating a rise in bearish bets that could add volatility if sentiment shifts. (No direct link available.)

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LNG opened at $294.19 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $61.84 billion, a PE ratio of 12.11 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $186.20 and a twelve month high of $299.49. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $229.83 and a 200 day simple moving average of $218.88.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.90 by $6.78. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 26.68% and a return on equity of 32.04%. The business had revenue of $5.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.48 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.33 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current year.

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 is presently 9.14%.

Cheniere Energy declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Thursday, February 26th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the energy company to repurchase up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Cheniere Energy 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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