Royal Bank Of Canada Cuts Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Price Target to $271.00

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) had its price objective lowered by analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from $282.00 to $271.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the energy company’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 27.73% from the company’s previous close.

LNG has been the subject of several other research reports. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $254.00 price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $284.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $262.00 to $259.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $274.00 to $271.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and set a $278.00 price objective (up from $275.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Friday, October 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $263.72.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LNG traded down $0.82 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $212.17. 89,084 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,869,663. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.69 and a beta of 0.26. Cheniere Energy has a 12 month low of $186.20 and a 12 month high of $246.42. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $199.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $218.44.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The energy company reported $4.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.75 by $2.00. The firm had revenue of $4.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.87 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 21.12%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.93 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Cheniere Energy will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Cheniere Energy

In other Cheniere Energy news, Director W Benjamin Moreland purchased 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 4th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $208.22 per share, for a total transaction of $1,041,100.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 9,856 shares in the company, valued at $2,052,216.32. This trade represents a 102.97% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of LNG. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $62,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 18.3% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 1,013,496 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $197,013,000 after acquiring an additional 156,422 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 35.4% in the 4th quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 4,568 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $888,000 after buying an additional 1,194 shares in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 15,057 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,927,000 after purchasing an additional 348 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. boosted its position in Cheniere Energy by 20.7% during the fourth quarter. Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. now owns 1,630 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $317,000 after acquiring an additional 280 shares during the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.