Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

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

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $278.00 price objective (up from $275.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and set a $262.00 price objective (up from $253.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Scotiabank reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $290.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Thursday, October 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $268.73.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LNG opened at $205.68 on Tuesday. Cheniere Energy has a 1 year low of $188.70 and a 1 year high of $257.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The company’s 50-day moving average is $229.02 and its 200 day moving average is $232.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.01, a P/E/G ratio of 6.08 and a beta of 0.37.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The energy company reported $4.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.75 by $2.00. The company had revenue of $4.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.87 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 21.05% and a return on equity of 37.83%. Cheniere Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.93 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Cheniere Energy will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director W Benjamin Moreland acquired 5,000 shares of Cheniere Energy stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 4th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $208.22 per share, for a total transaction of $1,041,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 9,856 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,052,216.32. This represents a 102.97% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Western Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 19.8% during the third quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,120 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $968,000 after buying an additional 682 shares during the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 4.9% during the third quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 21,947 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $5,157,000 after buying an additional 1,026 shares during the last quarter. RFG Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 45.8% during the third quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 2,406 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $565,000 after buying an additional 756 shares during the last quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 8.2% during the third quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 45,626 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $10,721,000 after buying an additional 3,444 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC increased its position in Cheniere Energy by 3.6% in the third quarter. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC now owns 9,965 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,342,000 after purchasing an additional 344 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Company Profile

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.