Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) EVP Sean Markowitz Sells 22,246 Shares

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) EVP Sean Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total transaction of $6,473,141.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,622,720. This represents a 25.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Cheniere Energy Stock Up 2.3%

Shares of NYSE LNG traded up $6.48 on Thursday, hitting $282.32. The company had a trading volume of 883,433 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,773,506. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $186.20 and a 12-month high of $300.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.62 and a beta of 0.13. The business has a 50 day moving average of $239.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $221.18.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.90 by $6.78. The firm had revenue of $5.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 32.04% and a net margin of 26.68%.Cheniere Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.33 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy announced that its Board of Directors has authorized 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 repurchase up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th were paid a $0.555 dividend. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 9.14%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of LNG. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,219,557 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $4,124,870,000 after purchasing an additional 414,022 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,174,695 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $1,200,299,000 after buying an additional 167,622 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $731,774,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 12.5% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,279,078 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $443,031,000 after acquiring an additional 253,469 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,263,826 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $440,047,000 after acquiring an additional 134,695 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on LNG shares. Scotiabank raised their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $266.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $283.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 12th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $296.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Cheniere Energy from $305.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $284.29.

Cheniere Energy News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Cheniere Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Substantial completion of Train 5 at Corpus Christi Stage 3 — this advances Cheniere’s expansion toward additional liquefaction capacity and near-term commercial throughput that should boost cash flow and utilization once full commissioning and ramp are complete. Cheniere achieves substantial completion on Train 5 of Corpus Christi LNG Stage 3
• Positive Sentiment: Record U.S. LNG exports amid Middle East war — global supply disruptions are pushing buyers toward U.S. LNG, increasing demand for Cheniere’s cargoes and improving utilization and potential spot/short-term margins. That macro tightening supports higher forward price expectations for LNG. US LNG exports break record high as Middle East war disrupts global supply
• Positive Sentiment: Qatar/Ras Laffan damage and Strait of Hormuz disruption — supply losses from Qatar have redirected Asian and European demand toward U.S. exporters, highlighting Cheniere’s strategic position as an alternative supplier and underpinning future pricing and contract leverage. Qatar LNG Shock Puts Focus On Cheniere’s Growth And Buyback Potential
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade / new 52‑week high — recent analyst upgrades and positive coverage have supported valuation momentum and contributed to share-price strength. These signals can attract more investor flows into LNG names. Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Reaches New 52-Week High Following Analyst Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector repositioning: energy seen as defensive — coverage highlighting energy stocks as defensive may shift institutional and retail money into large LNG exporters like Cheniere, but the flow is broad-based and not unique to LNG. Hot Picks: Energy stocks seen as defensive amid risks
• Neutral Sentiment: Woodside hedging note — competitor Woodside’s conservative hedging limits its near‑term upside; this is mixed for the sector — it can tighten available cargoes (helpful) but also mutes spot-driven windfalls. Impact on Cheniere is indirect. Woodside Energy : Hedges Limit LNG Upside
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts say Cheniere’s near- and long-term upside is already priced in — commentary arguing the company’s premium valuation already reflects LNG disruptions could limit further upside and temper investor expectations despite favorable fundamentals. Cheniere’s Long-Term Boost From Global LNG Disruptions Largely Priced Into 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.