Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-one research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, sixteen have issued a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $297.7059.

Several brokerages have issued reports on LNG. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $296.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $286.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

LNG opened at $254.90 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $53.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.92 and a beta of -0.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55. Cheniere Energy has a 12-month low of $186.20 and a 12-month high of $300.89. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $241.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $235.88.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 36.51%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $335,000. Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 13.3% in the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 8,825 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $2,149,000 after acquiring an additional 1,035 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 23.1% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 183,153 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $44,600,000 after purchasing an additional 34,422 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 0.8% in the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 103,040 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $25,092,000 after purchasing an additional 805 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 87.0% during the second quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 36,502 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $8,889,000 after purchasing an additional 16,977 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

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.