Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Shares Gap Down - Here's What Happened

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) gapped down prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $249.63, but opened at $244.00. Cheniere Energy shares last traded at $238.75, with a volume of 422,722 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on LNG shares. Barclays lifted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective 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. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $234.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $215.00 target price for the company. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $242.00 to $247.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $231.64.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

The company's 50 day simple moving average is $221.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $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 stock has a market capitalization of $52.38 billion, a PE ratio of 14.91 and a beta of 0.99.

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

Cheniere Energy Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.86%. Cheniere Energy's payout ratio is currently 12.77%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LNG. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $441,000. XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $210,000. AE Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Cheniere Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $490,000. Summit Trail Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $300,000. Finally, Gabelli Funds LLC grew its stake in Cheniere Energy by 90.3% during the second quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 5,900 shares of the energy company's stock worth $1,031,000 after buying an additional 2,800 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.