Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning.

LNG has been the topic of several other research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $234.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $232.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $195.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $253.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $235.75.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

LNG opened at $220.90 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $222.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $203.27. Cheniere Energy has a 52-week low of $152.31 and a 52-week high of $257.65. The company has a market cap of $49.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.11 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $1.59. The business had revenue of $4.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.44 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 41.44% and a net margin of 22.70%. Equities analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy will post 12.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is 14.05%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LNG. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 170.5% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 119 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 373.1% in the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 123 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.