Brokerages Set Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) PT at $196.25

Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the nine research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $196.25.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on LNG shares. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $208.00 to $204.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 9th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $178.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 17th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $194.00 to $199.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Cheniere Energy in a research note on Monday, June 24th. They set an "outperform" rating on the stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

LNG stock traded up $2.14 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $182.24. 1,934,953 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,793,288. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $180.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $167.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.63. Cheniere Energy has a twelve month low of $152.31 and a twelve month high of $187.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.88 and a beta of 0.95.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The energy company reported $3.84 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $2.13. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 27.05% and a return on equity of 39.42%. The firm had revenue of $3.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $5.61 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 19.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Cheniere Energy will post 9.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Monday, June 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $4.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the energy company to purchase up to 9.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1,490.1% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,957,451 shares of the energy company's stock worth $342,221,000 after purchasing an additional 1,834,347 shares in the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc grew its stake in Cheniere Energy by 231.8% during the first quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,338,752 shares of the energy company's stock worth $215,914,000 after buying an additional 935,239 shares during the last quarter. Darlington Partners Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 74.6% during the second quarter. Darlington Partners Capital Management LP now owns 1,514,155 shares of the energy company's stock worth $264,720,000 after buying an additional 647,096 shares in the last quarter. Zimmer Partners LP raised its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 61.4% in the first quarter. Zimmer Partners LP now owns 1,222,723 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $197,201,000 after acquiring an additional 465,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $70,682,000. 87.26% of the stock is 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.