Cheniere Net Income Reaches $1.17 Billion in Third Quarter on Strong LNG Demand
Key Facts
Cheniere Energy reported net income of about $1.17 billion for the quarter ended September 30, 2026, compared with $1.05 billion in the same period a year earlier, according to Reuters. The news agency said strong demand for liquefied natural gas helped boost earnings. LNG revenue was $6.1 billion, versus $4.3 billion a year earlier, while regasification revenue was unchanged at $34 million. These figures separate LNG revenue from the company's total revenue and do not support the total revenue figure included in the previous draft. The results put growth in net income and core business revenue at the forefront of the company's performance during the quarter.
The results came as U.S. LNG exports averaged 17.4 billion cubic feet per day in the first half of 2026, up 23% from the same period a year earlier, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The agency estimated that the average would be 17.3 billion cubic feet per day in the second half of the year. Across the U.S. market, exports reached 15 billion cubic feet per day in 2025, up 26% from 2024, according to agency data cited by Reuters. These figures provide context for the demand growth Reuters cited in explaining Cheniere's higher income. In the second quarter, the company exported 184 cargoes totaling 672 trillion British thermal units, compared with 154 cargoes and 550 trillion British thermal units a year earlier, increases of 19% and 22%, respectively.
Cheniere raised its full-year financial guidance in August after reporting second-quarter results. It then set a range of $7.90 billion to $8.40 billion for consolidated adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, and a range of $5.30 billion to $5.80 billion for distributable cash flow. In the second quarter, the company reported net income of $3.068 billion, compared with $1.626 billion in the corresponding period of 2025. Revenue for that quarter was $5.732 billion, versus $4.641 billion a year earlier. Those results and guidance provide prior financial context for the third quarter, while the current-quarter figures came amid continued growth in U.S. gas exports.
The company expanded its production capacity with the completion of the Corpus Christi Stage 3 project on August 28, 2026. Cheniere said the project added more than 20% to its LNG production capacity, bringing it to about 56 million tonnes a year. The company also announced on August 31 the project's substantial completion and the production and export of its 5,000th cargo. This operational expansion coincides with the increase in company exports recorded in the second quarter and growth in U.S. exports. Cargo and production capacity figures show the company's expansion, while Reuters attributed the improvement in third-quarter net income to strong LNG demand.
Sabine Pass Liquefaction and Corpus Christi Liquefaction signed agreements to supply a total of 4 million tonnes a year to QatarEnergy through the end of 2054. Deliveries are due to begin in the early 2030s. The agreements extend beyond the period covered by the third-quarter results and add long-term supply commitments to the subsidiaries' activities. In trading, LNG shares closed at $297.77 on October 28, 2026. The stock closed at $287.01 on October 22, according to EL7 data.
The company had scheduled its third-quarter earnings call for October 29, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The call comes the day after the stock closed at $297.77. It is expected to provide an opportunity for management to present the period's results and its guidance, according to the date announced on the investor relations calendar. The latest annual guidance available in the results was the ranges the company raised in August. That guidance remains specific to fiscal 2026, while the third-quarter announcement covered net income and LNG revenue for the period ended September 30.