Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the thirteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $236.33.

LNG has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $234.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $237.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $195.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th.

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Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Cheniere Energy stock opened at $215.39 on Thursday. 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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $225.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $207.02. Cheniere Energy has a 12 month low of $152.88 and a 12 month high of $257.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.17 billion, a PE ratio of 15.14 and a beta of 0.94.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $1.59. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 20.71% and a return on equity of 37.19%. The company had revenue of $4.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.44 billion. Equities analysts predict that Cheniere Energy will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.93%. Cheniere Energy's payout ratio is 14.05%.

Insider Transactions at Cheniere Energy

In related news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was 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 approximately $7,448,852.34. The trade was a 20.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Cheniere Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 53.3% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 368 shares of the energy company's stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Cheniere Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $73,000. Harbour Investments Inc. increased its position in Cheniere Energy by 7.4% in the third quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,194 shares of the energy company's stock worth $215,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the third quarter valued at $851,000. Finally, Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2.7% during the third quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 23,450 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $4,217,000 after acquiring an additional 614 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is 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.

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