Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Hits New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $218.17 and last traded at $218.10, with a volume of 1127959 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $214.75.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $215.00 target price on the stock. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $192.00 to $202.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $201.00 to $217.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $232.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $208.00 to $204.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $208.44.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $188.37 and a 200 day simple moving average of $177.06. The company has a market cap of $49.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.72 and a beta of 0.94.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The energy company reported $3.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $2.06. The business had revenue of $3.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.76 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 22.70% and a return on equity of 41.44%. Cheniere Energy’s quarterly revenue was down 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.37 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 18th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.91%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.77%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 215.7% in the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 62,551 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $10,936,000 after buying an additional 42,737 shares in the last quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $818,000. M&G PLC grew its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 21.0% during the 3rd quarter. M&G PLC now owns 268,834 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $48,390,000 after buying an additional 46,602 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 897.7% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 74,599 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $12,031,000 after purchasing an additional 67,122 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 29.1% during the 3rd quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 18,668 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $3,357,000 after purchasing an additional 4,212 shares in the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.