Bank of America Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Stock

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) had its target price hoisted by stock analysts at Bank of America from $296.00 to $322.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the energy company’s stock. Bank of America‘s target price points to a potential upside of 12.21% from the company’s previous close.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 13th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $277.00 to $301.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Cheniere Energy from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on Cheniere Energy from $283.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $267.94.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LNG traded up $5.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $286.96. 3,262,915 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,520,742. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $224.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $218.15. Cheniere Energy has a 1-year low of $186.20 and a 1-year high of $299.49. The firm has a market cap of $60.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.85 and a beta of 0.25.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.90 by $6.78. The firm 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.33 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy will post 11.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback 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 buy up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LNG. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Cheniere Energy during the second quarter worth $957,425,000. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 555.0% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 810,138 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $157,483,000 after buying an additional 686,459 shares in the last quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the third quarter valued at $142,688,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 518.8% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 577,533 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $112,267,000 after buying an additional 484,198 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $107,319,000. 87.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Geopolitical supply shock — Missile strikes on Qatar’s Ras Laffan complex and related Iran conflict fears have tightened global LNG supply expectations, lifting natural gas and LNG price forecasts and benefiting U.S. exporters like Cheniere. MarketWatch: World’s largest natural-gas complex battered
• Positive Sentiment: Record-high momentum and contract wins — Reports say Cheniere hit all-time highs after the Ras Laffan strikes and on news of more long-term orders from Thailand, supporting near-term revenue visibility. Yahoo: Cheniere hits all-time high
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade/price-target raise — BofA raised its price target to $322 (from $296), citing Middle East volatility and stronger commodity dynamics; the move helps underpin bullish sentiment and institutional interest. YouTube: Options Corner – LNG Price Target Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Heavy bullish options activity — Unusually large call buying was reported (roughly 6,975 calls), indicating speculative/institutional bets on further upside. (Options volume report)
• Neutral Sentiment: Debt issuance completed — Cheniere closed a ~$1.75 billion senior notes offering (reported March 19). Proceeds could fund growth or liquidity needs, but add fixed-rate debt; impact depends on use of proceeds and refinancing plans. TipRanks: Cheniere completes $1.75B senior notes offering
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector tailwinds — Broader oil and gas volatility (WTI/Brent spikes) and analyst pieces highlighting LNG beneficiaries are drawing investor flows into energy names, including Cheniere, but macro risks (rates, inflation) remain. 247WallSt: 5 stocks upgraded as Iran conflict reshapes energy
• Negative Sentiment: Profit-taking / volatility risk — Coverage noting the stock is entering overbought territory and rapid run-ups increase the chance of short-term pullbacks; some investors question whether it’s “too late” to buy at stretched levels. MSN: Cheniere enters overbought territory
• Negative Sentiment: Fund-level selling / headline-driven swings — A recent investor letter and coverage noted episodes of sharp intraday declines (a ~17% slide referenced), underscoring that concentrated flows or repositioning by large managers can produce outsized moves. InsiderMonkey: Here’s why LNG slid by 17%

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.