Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Hits New 1-Year High Following Analyst Upgrade

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)’s share price hit a new 52-week high on Monday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on the stock from $279.00 to $338.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Cheniere Energy traded as high as $300.89 and last traded at $297.77, with a volume of 654081 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $296.91.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $277.00 to $301.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on Cheniere Energy from $282.00 to $271.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded Cheniere Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $236.00 to $313.00 in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $282.00.

Institutional Trading of Cheniere Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the third quarter worth $25,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Strive Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 140 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

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 company has a market capitalization of $62.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.21 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $235.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $220.07.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.90 by $6.78. The business had revenue of $5.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 26.68% and a return on equity of 32.04%. Cheniere Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.33 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th were given a dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.14%.

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

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.