Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Reaches New 1-Year High – Here’s Why

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $260.49 and last traded at $261.2970, with a volume of 1911811 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $251.50.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $274.00 to $271.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Wolfe Research set a $220.00 target price on shares of Cheniere Energy and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Cheniere Energy from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $236.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $264.94.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average is $221.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $217.37. The company has a market capitalization of $55.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.85 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.90 by $6.78. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 26.68% and a return on equity of 32.04%. The business had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.48 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $4.33 earnings per share. Cheniere Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th were issued a dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is currently 9.14%.

Cheniere Energy announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Thursday, February 26th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the energy company to purchase up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its position in Cheniere Energy by 38.9% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 322,794 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $62,748,000 after purchasing an additional 90,392 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New Hampshire boosted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 400.0% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 500 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $97,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 12.1% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 2,240 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $436,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 40.2% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 37,964 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $7,374,000 after purchasing an additional 10,893 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 36.2% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 1,059,970 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $205,997,000 after buying an additional 281,504 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Company Profile

Cheniere Energy, Inc is a U.S.-based energy company that develops, owns and operates liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure and markets LNG to global customers. The company’s core activities include natural gas liquefaction, long‑term and short‑term LNG sales and marketing, and the associated midstream services required to move gas from production basins to international markets. Cheniere focuses on converting domestic natural gas into LNG for export, providing a bridge between North American supply and overseas demand.

Cheniere’s principal operating assets are large-scale LNG export terminals located on the U.S.