Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) EVP Sells $6,473,141.08 in Stock

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) EVP Sean Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total transaction of $6,473,141.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at $18,622,720. The trade was a 25.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Cheniere Energy Stock Up 0.1%

LNG stock opened at $281.55 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $59.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.59 and a beta of 0.14. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $242.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $221.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.81. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $186.20 and a 12 month high of $300.89.

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

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Cheniere Energy declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, February 26th that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the energy company to buy up to 21.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Trending Headlines about Cheniere Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Citi lifted its price target to $330 and kept a Buy rating, signaling notable Wall Street conviction that U.S. LNG exporters like Cheniere will benefit from Middle East supply disruptions. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Cheniere reported record production, a big EPS beat and strong distributable cash flow, supporting near-term profitability and capacity to fund expansion and buybacks. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Substantial completion announced for Train 5 at Corpus Christi Stage 3 increases export capacity and crystallizes expansion value for future cargo volumes. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Broader market tailwind: U.S. LNG exports hit record highs as Middle East disruptions push buyers toward U.S. supply, a structural demand boost for Cheniere as the largest U.S. exporter. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and “priced‑in” debate — some analyst notes and commentary say much of the Iran‑driven upside may already be reflected in LNG’s rally, limiting incremental upside absent further shocks. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro risk: analysts caution that persistently high LNG prices could eventually dampen demand or complicate contract/expansion dynamics, a longer‑term industry risk to monitor. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Operational setback: Sabine Pass is trimming output after an outage on one production unit — a near‑term hit to volumes and revenue that could temper upside while repairs are underway. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: recent large sales by EVP Sean Markowitz and CFO Zach Davis (SEC filings disclosed) may create short‑term selling pressure or raise investor questions about timing of personal liquidity events. Read More. Read More.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth $335,000. VestGen Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the second quarter valued at $236,000. Panagora Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 5.8% during the 2nd quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,859 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $453,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 149.1% during the 2nd quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC now owns 11,558 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,815,000 after purchasing an additional 6,919 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CW Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 41.9% during the 2nd quarter. CW Advisors LLC now owns 2,949 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $714,000 after purchasing an additional 871 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Bank of America lifted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $296.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Cheniere Energy from $279.00 to $338.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Morgan Stanley raised Cheniere Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $236.00 to $313.00 in a report on Monday, March 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $287.24.

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.