Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Stock Rating Upgraded by Sanford C. Bernstein

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) was upgraded by analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

LNG has been the topic of several other research reports. Barclays boosted their price target 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. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Scotiabank reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $297.71.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

Shares of LNG stock opened at $231.67 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.48. Cheniere Energy has a fifty-two week low of $186.20 and a fifty-two week high of $300.89. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $248.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $231.97. The firm has a market cap of $48.55 billion and a P/E ratio of 38.10.

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

Cheniere Energy announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, February 26th that permits the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the energy company to purchase up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cheniere Energy

In other news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $8,700,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares in the company, valued at $26,143,800. This trade represents a 24.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total value of $6,473,141.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at $18,622,720. This represents a 25.79% 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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LNG. Strive Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the first quarter worth about $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Accordant Advisory Group Inc bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

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.