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

Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nine research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $196.25.

LNG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $208.00 to $204.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Barclays boosted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $194.00 to $199.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $178.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Monday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,529,191 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $3,845,958,000 after buying an additional 151,311 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 8.5% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 5,270,853 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $921,503,000 after acquiring an additional 413,744 shares during the last quarter. Tortoise Capital Advisors L.L.C. raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 9.2% in the 2nd quarter. Tortoise Capital Advisors L.L.C. now owns 3,242,899 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $566,956,000 after acquiring an additional 273,588 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,921,837 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $510,825,000 after acquiring an additional 202,097 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 5.1% during the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 2,060,622 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $360,259,000 after purchasing an additional 99,678 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of LNG stock opened at $179.60 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $40.64 billion, a PE ratio of 8.75 and a beta of 0.95. Cheniere Energy has a 12 month low of $152.31 and a 12 month high of $187.44. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $180.90 and a 200-day moving average of $168.28. 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 (NYSE:LNG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The energy company reported $3.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by $2.13. The firm had revenue of $3.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.52 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 27.05% and a return on equity of 39.42%. The business’s revenue was down 19.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $5.61 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Cheniere Energy will post 9.74 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Monday, June 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $4.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the energy company to reacquire up to 9.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.