Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Upgraded at Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have $313.00 price target on the energy company’s stock, up from their previous price target of $236.00.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on LNG. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $296.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $271.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Barclays raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Citigroup cut their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $283.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $277.71.

Cheniere Energy Trading Down 3.4%

Shares of Cheniere Energy stock opened at $284.44 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $59.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.71 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $231.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $219.34. Cheniere Energy has a 12-month low of $186.20 and a 12-month high of $299.49.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 net margin of 26.68% and a return on equity of 32.04%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.33 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Cheniere Energy will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, February 26th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the energy company to buy up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Railway Pension Investments Ltd lifted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 62.9% in the third quarter. Railway Pension Investments Ltd now owns 777,200 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $182,626,000 after buying an additional 300,100 shares during the period. M&G PLC boosted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 49.6% in the third quarter. M&G PLC now owns 556,285 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $130,727,000 after acquiring an additional 184,520 shares during the last quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 66.7% during the 4th quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 45,000 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $8,748,000 after acquiring an additional 18,000 shares during the period. Waverton Investment Management Ltd grew its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 35.3% during the 3rd quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd now owns 196,819 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $46,244,000 after acquiring an additional 51,326 shares during the period. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 12.6% during the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,460,762 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $343,250,000 after acquiring an additional 163,861 shares during the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Cheniere Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Management says Cheniere is already operating at maximum capacity and is seeing increased calls from Asia, underlining tight market fundamentals and near‑term pricing power. Cheniere already operating at maximum capacity, CEO says – Reuters
• Positive Sentiment: Cheniere is pushing to bring the next Corpus Christi LNG train online this week, which would increase export volumes and near‑term revenue visibility. Cheniere pushes to get next Corpus Christi LNG train online this week – BizJournals
• Positive Sentiment: Global supply disruption (Qatar declared force majeure) and geopolitical risk tied to the Iran conflict are tightening LNG markets — a tailwind for Cheniere’s margins and cash flows. Gas-related stocks rise as supplies tighten; QatarEnergy declares force majeure – Seeking Alpha
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple firms and strategists are bullish: Goldman Sachs highlights LNG producers as beneficiaries of prolonged disruption, Goldman raised coverage/targets, Wells Fargo is constructive with a higher price target, and Morgan Stanley upgraded the stock — reinforcing analyst support. These 3 LNG Stocks Still Have Room to Rise, Says Goldman Sachs – Investopedia
• Neutral Sentiment: US Capital Advisors issued mixed estimate changes — they lifted full‑year and later‑year EPS forecasts but trimmed some near‑term quarterly estimates, creating mixed signals for short‑term earnings expectations. Cheniere analyst estimate updates – MarketBeat
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose ~24% in March, increasing the potential for downward pressure or volatility from additional short selling and accelerated profit‑taking. (internal short‑interest report)
• Negative Sentiment: Executives and industry coverage note a risk that sustained high LNG prices could push customers to accelerate fuel diversification, which would be a longer‑term negative for demand. The Iran War Has Boosted LNG Profits. Here’s What’s Worrying Executives. – Barron’s

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.