Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Hits New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $229.63 and last traded at $226.62, with a volume of 143179 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $225.19.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on LNG. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $213.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $215.00 price objective on the stock. Scotiabank assumed coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Friday. They issued a “sector outperform” rating and a $242.00 price target on the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $199.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Cheniere Energy from $201.00 to $217.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $226.55.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $50.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.45 and a beta of 0.99. The company’s 50 day moving average is $214.24 and its 200-day moving average is $192.40. 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The energy company reported $3.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $3.76 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.37 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is 12.77%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Octavia Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Cheniere Energy by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Octavia Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,498 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $269,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. MAI Capital Management raised its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 4,204 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $756,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Sapient Capital LLC now owns 7,514 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,351,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,057 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $190,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 2.4% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,238 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $582,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is 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.