Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Downgraded by Zacks Research to Hold

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) was downgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $286.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. UBS Group set a $290.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $298.63.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

LNG stock opened at $239.78 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.57. Cheniere Energy has a 52 week low of $186.20 and a 52 week high of $300.89. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $251.98 and its 200 day moving average is $231.14. The firm has a market cap of $50.25 billion and a P/E ratio of 39.44.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported ($16.65) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.25 by ($20.90). Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 38.95%. The business had revenue of $5.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. Cheniere Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Cheniere Energy will post 14.93 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total value of $6,473,141.08. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,622,720. This trade represents a 25.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $8,700,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,143,800. This represents a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.55% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Strive Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the third quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Accordant Advisory Group Inc purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. 87.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.