Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Shares Gap Down – Should You Sell?

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) shares gapped down prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $249.63, but opened at $244.00. Cheniere Energy shares last traded at $238.75, with a volume of 422,722 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LNG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. UBS Group increased their target price on Cheniere Energy from $232.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $242.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $201.00 to $217.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $234.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $231.64.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 5.6 %

The company has a market capitalization of $52.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.07 and a beta of 0.99. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $221.23 and its 200 day moving average is $196.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The energy company reported $3.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $2.06. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 22.70% and a return on equity of 41.44%. The business had revenue of $3.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.76 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.37 earnings per share. Cheniere Energy’s quarterly revenue was down 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 12.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is 12.77%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kavar Capital Partners Group LLC increased its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Kavar Capital Partners Group LLC now owns 18,925 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $4,066,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $5,702,000. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $240,000. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 72,873 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $15,659,000 after buying an additional 2,973 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter worth $2,451,000. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.