JPMorgan Chase & Co. Lowers Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Price Target to $325.00

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) had its target price reduced by stock analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $338.00 to $325.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the energy company’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective indicates a potential upside of 25.19% from the company’s current price.

LNG has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $296.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Wolfe Research set a $220.00 target price on Cheniere Energy and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Barclays raised their price target on Cheniere Energy from $259.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $276.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $292.82.

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE LNG traded down $1.99 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $259.61. The company had a trading volume of 1,401,517 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,811,136. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $250.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $223.37. Cheniere Energy has a 52-week low of $186.20 and a 52-week high of $300.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The stock has a market cap of $54.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.69 and a beta of 0.14.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $10.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.90 by $6.78. The company had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.48 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 26.68% and a return on equity of 32.04%. Cheniere Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.33 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Cheniere Energy will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheniere Energy announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, February 26th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the energy company to buy up to 21.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Cheniere Energy

In related news, CFO Zach Davis sold 29,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $8,700,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 87,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,143,800. This trade represents a 24.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Sean N. Markowitz sold 22,246 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.98, for a total value of $6,473,141.08. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 64,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,622,720. The trade was a 25.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,219,557 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $4,124,870,000 after purchasing an additional 414,022 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,174,695 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $1,200,299,000 after purchasing an additional 167,622 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $731,774,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 12.5% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,279,078 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $443,031,000 after buying an additional 253,469 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Cheniere Energy by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,263,826 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $440,047,000 after buying an additional 134,695 shares in the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cheniere Energy Company Profile

Cheniere Energy, Inc is a U.S.-based energy company that develops, owns and operates liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure and markets LNG to global customers. The company’s core activities include natural gas liquefaction, long‑term and short‑term LNG sales and marketing, and the associated midstream services required to move gas from production basins to international markets. Cheniere focuses on converting domestic natural gas into LNG for export, providing a bridge between North American supply and overseas demand.

Cheniere’s principal operating assets are large-scale LNG export terminals located on the U.S.