Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Hits New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $248.61 and last traded at $245.88, with a volume of 2477909 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $243.09.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on LNG shares. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $204.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Cheniere Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $215.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen upped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $242.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Barclays lifted their price target on Cheniere Energy from $199.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $226.55.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $55.17 billion, a PE ratio of 15.70 and a beta of 0.99. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $216.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $194.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.98.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The energy company reported $3.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $2.06. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 22.70% and a return on equity of 41.44%. The company had revenue of $3.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.76 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.37 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is currently 12.77%.

Institutional Trading of Cheniere Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the third quarter worth $27,000. Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 5,000.0% in the second quarter. Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC now owns 153 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the third quarter worth about $53,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Company Profile

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.