Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Given New $254.00 Price Target at Mizuho

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) had its price target boosted by Mizuho from $248.00 to $254.00 in a report published on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the energy company’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on LNG. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Cheniere Energy from $195.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Argus initiated coverage on Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $255.00 price target for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Cheniere Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $239.79.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

LNG opened at $224.07 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. The company has a market cap of $50.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.75 and a beta of 0.94. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $224.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $208.17. Cheniere Energy has a 12-month low of $152.88 and a 12-month high of $257.65.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $1.59. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 20.71% and a return on equity of 37.19%. The company had revenue of $4.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.44 billion. Research analysts predict that Cheniere Energy will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.05%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Cheniere Energy news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.51, for a total value of $1,975,590.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 33,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,448,852.34. This represents a 20.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Objective Capital Management LLC grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 8.6% during the fourth quarter. Objective Capital Management LLC now owns 1,851 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $398,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the period. 111 Capital purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth $996,000. Thoma Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $680,000. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ purchased a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter worth $15,912,000. Finally, TFR Capital LLC. bought a new position in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter worth $1,532,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

About Cheniere Energy

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.