Mizuho Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Stock

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) had its price target boosted by investment analysts at Mizuho from $248.00 to $254.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “outperform” rating on the energy company’s stock. Mizuho’s target price points to a potential upside of 11.75% from the company’s current price.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on LNG. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $202.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $234.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Scotiabank restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $237.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $239.79.

Cheniere Energy Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of LNG stock opened at $227.29 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $50.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.97 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. Cheniere Energy has a fifty-two week low of $152.88 and a fifty-two week high of $257.65. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $224.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $208.31.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $1.59. The company had revenue of $4.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.44 billion. Cheniere Energy had a net margin of 20.71% and a return on equity of 37.19%. On average, analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy will post 11.69 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.51, for a total value of $1,975,590.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 33,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,448,852.34. This represents a 20.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LNG. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $629,197,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Cheniere Energy by 195.1% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,200,456 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $755,410,000 after acquiring an additional 2,776,920 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Cheniere Energy by 91.4% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,747,370 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $673,927,000 after acquiring an additional 1,789,919 shares in the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd raised its position in Cheniere Energy by 1,400.7% in the fourth quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 1,509,717 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $324,393,000 after acquiring an additional 1,409,116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its position in Cheniere Energy by 84.6% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 1,651,500 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $354,858,000 after acquiring an additional 756,900 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.