Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on LNG. UBS Group raised their target price on Cheniere Energy from $232.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Cheniere Energy from $242.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Cheniere Energy from $234.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $195.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $235.75.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 2.7 %

Shares of LNG stock opened at $220.90 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $223.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $203.98. The stock has a market cap of $49.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.52 and a beta of 0.98. Cheniere Energy has a one year low of $152.31 and a one year high of $257.65.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $1.59. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 20.71% and a return on equity of 37.19%. The company had revenue of $4.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.44 billion. Analysts predict that Cheniere Energy will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.05%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 5,681,846 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,220,858,000 after purchasing an additional 243,418 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 3.2% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 5,438,428 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $978,047,000 after buying an additional 167,575 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 195.1% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,200,456 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $755,410,000 after buying an additional 2,776,920 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,126,512 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $886,664,000 after buying an additional 379,142 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 16.1% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,237,303 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $695,599,000 after buying an additional 450,031 shares in the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.