Cheniere Energy, Inc. to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.44 (NYSE:LNG)

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) announced a quarterly dividend on Monday, June 17th, RTT News reports. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th will be given a dividend of 0.435 per share by the energy company on Friday, August 16th. This represents a $1.74 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 9th.

Cheniere Energy has a dividend payout ratio of 15.9% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Cheniere Energy to earn $10.11 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.74 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 17.2%.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

Cheniere Energy stock opened at $176.54 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $169.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $163.67. Cheniere Energy has a 12 month low of $152.31 and a 12 month high of $184.62. The company has a market capitalization of $40.41 billion, a PE ratio of 8.60 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58.

Cheniere Energy declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Monday, June 17th that permits the company to repurchase $4.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the energy company to buy up to 9.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LNG has been the topic of several recent research reports. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $162.00 target price on the stock. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $178.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Monday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. UBS Group reduced their price target on Cheniere Energy from $223.00 to $206.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $204.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $199.09.

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.