HomeNewsCheniere lifts buyback plan to > $10 B as profit surges on strong LNG demand

Cheniere lifts buyback plan to > $10 B as profit surges on strong LNG demand

2/26/2026

Cheniere Energy said its fourth-quarter profit more than doubled on strong liquefied natural gas (LNG) demand and the company raised its share repurchase target to > $10 B through 2030.

Shares of the largest LNG producer in the U.S. were up 1.2% at about $223 in premarket trading on Thursday.

The U.S. is the world's largest LNG exporter and had shipped 15 Bft3d of the supercooled fuel last year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), up 26% from 2024.

Commercial activity in the sector gained further momentum after President Donald Trump lifted a moratorium on new LNG export permits after taking office in January last year.

Cheniere's Corpus Christi Stage 3 project, an export facility in South Texas, was 94.1% complete as of December 31, the company said on Thursday. In late December, the company completed Train 4 at the project with the three remaining trains set to be finished in 2026 (learn more).

The project is expected to add 10 metric MMtpy of LNG to Cheniere's production capacity of 15 metric MMtpy at the Corpus Christi export facility.

Separately, the LNG producer said it will supply 1.2 metric MMtpy of LNG to Taiwan's CPC from 2026 through 2050.

Strong quarter. The company reported net income attributable to Cheniere of $2.3 B or $10.68 per share for the quarter ended December 31, compared with $977 MM or $4.33 per share a year earlier.

LNG revenue rose 24.5% to $5.31 B in the quarter, from a year earlier, while the number of cargoes exported was up about 11% at 185.

The company said the revised buyback plan reflects a $9-B increase to its existing authorization, which included $1 B deployed in the fourth quarter.

Cheniere forecast an adjusted core profit between $6.75 B and $7.25 B for 2026, which fell below Wall Street estimates of $7.27 B, according to data compiled by LSEG.

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