Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twelve research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eleven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $231.64.

LNG has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group raised their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $232.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $204.00 to $237.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Bank of America started coverage on Cheniere Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $215.00 target price for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $201.00 to $217.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its stake in Cheniere Energy by 170.5% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the third quarter valued at $28,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Adirondack Trust Co. acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company's stock.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

NYSE LNG traded down $16.11 on Wednesday, hitting $233.52. 3,354,371 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,187,170. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $221.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $196.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. The company has a market cap of $52.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.92 and a beta of 0.99. Cheniere Energy has a 1-year low of $152.31 and a 1-year high of $257.65.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The energy company reported $3.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.87 by $2.06. The business had revenue of $3.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.76 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 41.44% and a net margin of 22.70%. Cheniere Energy's quarterly revenue was down 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.37 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Cheniere Energy will post 12.66 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. Cheniere Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 12.77%.

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.