Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Stock Price Down 3.5% – Should You Sell?

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)’s share price dropped 3.5% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $260.11 and last traded at $260.34. 212,125 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 92% from the average daily volume of 2,507,294 shares. The stock had previously closed at $269.72.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $313.00 to $308.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $283.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $286.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Cheniere Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $298.88.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average is $244.52 and its 200 day moving average is $242.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The company has a market cap of $54.54 billion, a PE ratio of 42.84 and a beta of -0.01.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were given a dividend of $0.555 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.51%.

Institutional Trading of Cheniere Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Trivium Point Advisory LLC increased its stake in Cheniere Energy by 38.8% during the 4th quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC now owns 56,930 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $11,067,000 after purchasing an additional 15,927 shares in the last quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG lifted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 227.7% during the fourth quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 15,505 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $3,014,000 after buying an additional 10,774 shares during the period. Sovereign Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Cheniere Energy during the first quarter worth $1,472,000. Lewis Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 127.4% during the fourth quarter. Lewis Asset Management LLC now owns 8,751 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,701,000 after buying an additional 4,903 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 17.2% during the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 76,812 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $14,930,000 after buying an additional 11,270 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

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.