Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Barclays Analyst Says

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) had its price target lifted by Barclays from $202.00 to $253.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the energy company’s stock.

Several other research firms also recently issued reports on LNG. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $242.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Scotiabank started coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Friday, January 10th. They issued a “sector outperform” rating and a $242.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $234.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $204.00 to $237.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $231.18.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:LNG opened at $253.76 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.07. Cheniere Energy has a fifty-two week low of $152.31 and a fifty-two week high of $254.20. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $217.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $194.37. The company has a market capitalization of $56.94 billion, a PE ratio of 16.20 and a beta of 0.99.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The energy company reported $3.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $2.06. The company had revenue of $3.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.76 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 41.44% and a net margin of 22.70%. The firm’s revenue was down 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.37 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy will post 12.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 18th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.79%. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is 12.77%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 170.5% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 119 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC grew its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 5,000.0% during the 2nd quarter. Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC now owns 153 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the third quarter worth $27,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the third quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the second quarter valued at $30,000. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.