Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $6.78 EPS

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) released its earnings results on Thursday. The energy company reported $10.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.90 by $6.78, FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 33.56% and a net margin of 26.68%.Cheniere Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.33 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Cheniere Energy’s conference call:

• Cheniere delivered strong FY‑2025 results with ~$6.94 billion consolidated adjusted EBITDA, ~$5.3 billion distributable cash flow (above guidance), and a record 670 cargoes (~46+ million tons) of LNG, driven by improved reliability and Stage 3 volumes.
• The company guided 2026 to ~51–53 million tons of production and consolidated adjusted EBITDA of $6.75–$7.25 billion, noting higher volumes but lower spot margins and a one‑time alternative fuel tax credit benefit.
• Capital allocation was accelerated: the 2020 Vision plan was completed ahead of schedule, >$20 billion deployed, the board upsized share‑repurchase authorization to >$10 billion through 2030, and management targets ~$30 run‑rate DCF per share by decade‑end.
• Growth projects are progressing—Corpus Christi Stage 3 ~95% complete with first LNG at Train 5, Midscale Trains 8–9 under construction, and SPL/CCL brownfield expansions advancing toward permits and a planned FID cadence that could grow capacity toward ~75 mtpa.
• Management expects a multi‑year LNG supply wave starting in 2026 that should moderate spot prices and stimulate Asian demand (China demand highlighted), with Cheniere citing delivered price sensitivity in the ~$8–$9 range for Chinese demand growth.

Cheniere Energy Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:LNG traded up $3.13 during trading on Friday, reaching $235.64. 3,058,640 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,706,943. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $207.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $216.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.94. Cheniere Energy has a 52-week low of $186.20 and a 52-week high of $246.42. The stock has a market cap of $50.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.70 and a beta of 0.27.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.14%.

Institutional Trading of Cheniere Energy

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. State Street Corp grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,174,695 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $1,200,299,000 after purchasing an additional 167,622 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,263,826 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $440,047,000 after purchasing an additional 134,695 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 5.6% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,786,636 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $419,824,000 after buying an additional 95,545 shares during the last quarter. Amundi increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 1,725,023 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $335,327,000 after buying an additional 42,192 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC raised its position in Cheniere Energy by 20.3% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 1,491,517 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $289,936,000 after acquiring an additional 251,583 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

More Cheniere Energy News

Here are the key news stories impacting Cheniere Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Board authorizes a massive share buyback program — management approved up to $10.0 billion in repurchases (about 21.1% of shares), a clear capital-return signal that typically supports the share price. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Strong 2025 operating and financial results: company reported record LNG exports, a large year-over-year revenue increase and robust quarterly earnings metrics that management highlighted in its 2025 results and guidance. These fundamentals underpin upgraded sentiment. Earnings Release
• Positive Sentiment: Export and contract expansion: U.S. DOE approved a ~12% export increase at Corpus Christi and Cheniere signed long-term sales with CPC (extending contracted revenues), supporting longer-term cash flow visibility. Export Approval CPC Deal
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst bullishness: Barclays raised its price target to $271 (overweight) and TD Cowen raised its target to $255 (buy), reinforcing buy-side momentum. Analyst Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Growth pipeline progressing: Cheniere has filed for a Stage 4 Corpus Christi expansion and is advancing Sabine Pass projects — positive long-term capacity moves but subject to execution and multi-year timelines. Growth Plans
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed headlines on quarterly metrics: some outlets flagged an EPS miss under certain measures while company releases showed strong adjusted results — the GAAP vs. adjusted framing creates short-term noise for traders. Earnings Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Tax-credit controversy: Reuters reported Cheniere received a $370M “alternative fuel” tax break for LNG used in tankers, which critics say was intended for much smaller vessels — this could prompt regulatory scrutiny or reputational damage. Tax Break Story

Cheniere Energy announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, February 26th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the energy company to purchase up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LNG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Scotiabank reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $266.00 price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Thursday. 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $284.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.50.

About Cheniere Energy

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.