Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Raised to “Strong-Buy” at Zacks Research

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) was upgraded by research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. UBS Group set a $290.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Wednesday. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $296.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $293.50.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of NYSE:LNG opened at $239.45 on Tuesday. Cheniere Energy has a 52 week low of $186.20 and a 52 week high of $300.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.57. The company’s fifty day moving average is $264.29 and its 200-day moving average is $227.25. The company has a market capitalization of $50.18 billion, a PE ratio of 39.38 and a beta of 0.07.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The energy company reported ($16.65) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.25 by ($20.90). The company had revenue of $5.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.69 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 38.95% and a net margin of 7.23%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Cheniere Energy will post 15.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Insider Transactions at Cheniere Energy

In other news, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,622,720. This represents a 25.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value 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 trade represents a 24.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Cheniere Energy

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of LNG. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $335,000. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 13.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 8,825 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $2,149,000 after acquiring an additional 1,035 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 23.1% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 183,153 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $44,600,000 after acquiring an additional 34,422 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 103,040 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $25,092,000 after acquiring an additional 805 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC lifted its position in Cheniere Energy by 87.0% in the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 36,502 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $8,889,000 after acquiring an additional 16,977 shares in the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is owned by 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.