Citigroup Cuts Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Price Target to $280.00

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) had its price objective cut by Citigroup from $283.00 to $280.00 in a report issued on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the energy company’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $278.00 price target (up previously from $275.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Friday, October 24th. Scotiabank lowered their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $261.00 to $257.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $275.00 target price on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $290.00 price target on Cheniere Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $284.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $265.24.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LNG opened at $199.46 on Monday. Cheniere Energy has a 52 week low of $186.20 and a 52 week high of $257.65. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $200.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $220.72. The company has a market cap of $42.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.11, a PEG ratio of 6.22 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The energy company reported $4.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.75 by $2.00. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 21.12%.The business had revenue of $4.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.87 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.93 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Cheniere Energy will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 7th were given a $0.555 dividend. This is an increase from Cheniere Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 7th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.37%.

Insider Activity

In other Cheniere Energy news, Director W Benjamin Moreland purchased 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 4th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $208.22 per share, for a total transaction of $1,041,100.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 9,856 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,052,216.32. The trade was a 102.97% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LNG. Altman Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Altman Advisors Inc. now owns 10,206 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,409,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC grew its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 3,268 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $768,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Childress Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in Cheniere Energy by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,385 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $1,265,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 7.3% in the third quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 688 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $162,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. Finally, Howard Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 3.3% in the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,488 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $350,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.