Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Reaches New 12-Month Low Following Analyst Downgrade

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday after Wolfe Research downgraded the stock from an outperform rating to a peer perform rating. The stock traded as low as $225.66 and last traded at $231.20, with a volume of 2463570 shares. The stock had previously closed at $237.83.

LNG has been the subject of a number of other reports. Argus assumed coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $255.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $255.00 to $247.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $242.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com upgraded Cheniere Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $252.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $251.46.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.51, for a total value of $1,975,590.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 33,934 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,448,852.34. The trade was a 20.96 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 170.5% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 119 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 373.1% in the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 123 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 150.0% in the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 125 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.07. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $222.75 and its 200-day moving average is $217.26. The company has a market cap of $51.51 billion, a PE ratio of 16.25 and a beta of 0.67.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $1.59. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 37.19% and a net margin of 20.71%. The firm had revenue of $4.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.44 billion. On average, research analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.05%.

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.