Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the ten brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $201.89.

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on LNG. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Cheniere Energy from $208.00 to $204.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $201.00 to $217.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Bank of America started coverage on Cheniere Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $215.00 price target on the stock. Barclays raised their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $199.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $192.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th.

Cheniere Energy Stock Up 0.3 %

LNG opened at $210.61 on Friday. Cheniere Energy has a 12 month low of $152.31 and a 12 month high of $217.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The stock has a market cap of $47.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.45 and a beta of 0.94. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $186.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $175.82.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The energy company reported $3.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $2.06. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 41.44% and a net margin of 22.70%. The company had revenue of $3.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.76 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.37 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Cheniere Energy will post 11.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.77%.

Institutional Trading of Cheniere Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the third quarter worth $16,838,000. Morton Community Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the third quarter worth $2,855,000. Maverick Capital Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1.2% in the third quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. now owns 8,979 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $1,615,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the period. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 25.7% in the third quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 773,445 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $139,096,000 after buying an additional 158,255 shares during the period. Finally, Flow Traders U.S. LLC acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the third quarter valued at $327,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

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.