Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) have earned an average rating of “Buy” from the nineteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, sixteen have given a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $267.6667.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on LNG shares. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Cheniere Energy in a research note on Friday, September 19th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $268.00 target price for the company. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and set a $262.00 target price (up from $253.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $267.00 to $284.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $278.00 price target (up from $275.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Friday.

Cheniere Energy Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of LNG stock opened at $216.03 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. The stock has a market cap of $47.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.61 and a beta of 0.37. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $232.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $233.44. Cheniere Energy has a 1 year low of $181.59 and a 1 year high of $257.65.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The energy company reported $7.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $4.95. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 37.83% and a net margin of 21.05%.The firm had revenue of $4.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.48 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.84 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 42.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Cheniere Energy will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 7th will be paid a $0.555 dividend. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 7th. This is a positive change from Cheniere Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 11.68%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Leavell Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 20,154 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $4,736,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Vectors Research Management LLC increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 1.5% in the third quarter. Vectors Research Management LLC now owns 13,022 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $3,060,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares during the period. Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 49.6% in the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 193 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 62.3% in the third quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 7,501 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,763,000 after purchasing an additional 2,880 shares during the period. Finally, Cannon Global Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 32.7% in the third quarter. Cannon Global Investment Management LLC now owns 7,300 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,715,000 after purchasing an additional 1,800 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.