Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Price Target Raised to $306.00

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) had its price objective increased by BMO Capital Markets from $265.00 to $306.00 in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. BMO Capital Markets currently has an outperform rating on the energy company’s stock.

LNG has been the topic of a number of other reports. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $236.00 to $313.00 in a research note on Monday. Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $266.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $296.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Cheniere Energy from $283.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $282.00 to $271.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $277.71.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 3.4%

LNG opened at $284.44 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $59.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.71 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.94. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $231.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $219.34. Cheniere Energy has a twelve month low of $186.20 and a twelve month high of $299.49.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.90 by $6.78. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 32.04% and a net margin of 26.68%.The company had revenue of $5.45 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.48 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $4.33 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy will post 11.69 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 6th were given a $0.555 dividend. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 9.14%.

Cheniere Energy declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, February 26th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the energy company to buy up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,219,557 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $4,124,870,000 after buying an additional 414,022 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,174,695 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,200,299,000 after buying an additional 167,622 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $957,425,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 12.5% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,279,078 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $443,031,000 after acquiring an additional 253,469 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,263,826 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $440,047,000 after acquiring an additional 134,695 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Cheniere Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management says Cheniere is already operating at maximum capacity and is seeing increased calls from Asia, underlining tight market fundamentals and near‑term pricing power. Cheniere already operating at maximum capacity, CEO says – Reuters
• Positive Sentiment: Cheniere is pushing to bring the next Corpus Christi LNG train online this week, which would increase export volumes and near‑term revenue visibility. Cheniere pushes to get next Corpus Christi LNG train online this week – BizJournals
• Positive Sentiment: Global supply disruption (Qatar declared force majeure) and geopolitical risk tied to the Iran conflict are tightening LNG markets — a tailwind for Cheniere’s margins and cash flows. Gas-related stocks rise as supplies tighten; QatarEnergy declares force majeure – Seeking Alpha
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple firms and strategists are bullish: Goldman Sachs highlights LNG producers as beneficiaries of prolonged disruption, Goldman raised coverage/targets, Wells Fargo is constructive with a higher price target, and Morgan Stanley upgraded the stock — reinforcing analyst support. These 3 LNG Stocks Still Have Room to Rise, Says Goldman Sachs – Investopedia
• Neutral Sentiment: US Capital Advisors issued mixed estimate changes — they lifted full‑year and later‑year EPS forecasts but trimmed some near‑term quarterly estimates, creating mixed signals for short‑term earnings expectations. Cheniere analyst estimate updates – MarketBeat
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose ~24% in March, increasing the potential for downward pressure or volatility from additional short selling and accelerated profit‑taking. (internal short‑interest report)
• Negative Sentiment: Executives and industry coverage note a risk that sustained high LNG prices could push customers to accelerate fuel diversification, which would be a longer‑term negative for demand. The Iran War Has Boosted LNG Profits. Here’s What’s Worrying Executives. – Barron’s

Cheniere Energy Company Profile

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.