TD Cowen Increases Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Price Target to $270.00

Key Points

• TD Cowen raised its price target on Cheniere Energy to $270 from $265 and kept a buy rating, implying about 12.5% upside from the prior close.
• Broker sentiment remains broadly positive overall: several firms recently lifted targets or reiterated bullish ratings, and MarketBeat shows a Moderate Buy consensus with an average target price of $296.50.
• Cheniere recently reported a big earnings miss for the quarter, with EPS of -$16.65 versus expectations of $4.25, even though revenue came in above estimates at $5.87 billion.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) had its target price raised by research analysts at TD Cowen from $265.00 to $270.00 in a report issued on Monday. The brokerage currently has a "buy" rating on the energy company's stock. TD Cowen's price target points to a potential upside of 12.54% from the stock's previous close.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the company. Barclays lifted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Cheniere Energy from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $296.50.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 0.1%

LNG stock opened at $239.92 on Monday. Cheniere Energy has a twelve month low of $186.20 and a twelve month high of $300.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The stock's 50 day moving average is $263.74 and its 200-day moving average is $226.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.28 billion, a PE ratio of 39.46 and a beta of 0.07.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The energy company reported ($16.65) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.25 by ($20.90). The company had revenue of $5.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.69 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 36.34%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.57 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Cheniere Energy will post 13.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy announced that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, February 26th that permits the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the energy company to purchase up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $8,700,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,143,800. The trade was a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total value of $6,473,141.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 64,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,622,720. This trade represents a 25.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Mathes Company Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the first quarter valued at $227,000. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the first quarter valued at $711,000. DJE Kapital AG grew its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2,215.5% in the first quarter. DJE Kapital AG now owns 67,381 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $19,778,000 after purchasing an additional 64,471 shares in the last quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the first quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Rice Partnership LLC purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the first quarter valued at $2,209,000. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Company 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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