Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Rating Lowered to “Hold” at StockNews.com

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Friday.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Raymond James reiterated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $252.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Argus began coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $255.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $195.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $248.00 to $254.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $252.23.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 1.6 %

LNG opened at $233.48 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.98. Cheniere Energy has a 12 month low of $153.03 and a 12 month high of $257.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.41 and a beta of 0.41. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $224.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $220.04.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The energy company reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.81 by ($1.24). The company had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.73 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 37.19% and a net margin of 20.71%. Cheniere Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Cheniere Energy news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.51, for a total value of $1,975,590.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 33,934 shares in the company, valued at $7,448,852.34. This trade represents a 20.96 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Cheniere Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in Cheniere Energy by 170.5% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 119 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC increased its position in Cheniere Energy by 373.1% during the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 123 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC increased its position in Cheniere Energy by 150.0% during the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 125 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Cheniere Energy

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.