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Venture Global: a promising way to play the energy crisis
LNG-producer Venture Global is set for a windfall from higher natural gas prices and looks like a promising play on the brewing energy crisis
The war in the Middle East has created a global oil and gas supply shock, similar in scale to the crisis unleashed in 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine and cut off Europe's gas supply.
In some regards, this conflict threatens to have an even bigger impact on global hydrocarbon markets if it persists. As countries turned away from Russian gas supply in the months and years after the beginning of the Ukraine conflict, buyers turned to Middle Eastern suppliers of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to replace Russian imports.
At the beginning of the year, LNG shipments from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) accounted for about 20% of global LNG supply, but these supplies have now been cut out of the market due to the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
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As supply has been cut off, buyers have rushed to secure new cargoes, paying huge premiums. Building facilities to convert natural gas into the super-cooled liquid product isn't for the faint of heart. These plants can cost around $10 billion for a mid-sized facility, although most producers build as large as possible to achieve the best economies of scale.
As a result, price tags of $50 billion-plus are common. The scale of these projects means that most output is sold on long-term agreements before production even begins, so backers know they have a return on investment before committing billions.
About 70% of LNG output globally is sold on long-term contracts, making it hard for buyers who have now been forced to look elsewhere to secure the energy they need. Prices have spiralled as a result. The price of natural gas in Europe increased 70% in a week after the conflict began.
Venture Global is the fastest gun in the west
Enter Venture Global (NYSE: VG). Founded by former banker Mike Sabel and lawyer Bob Pender just over a decade ago, the company has grown from nothing into one of the largest LNG producers in the US, which itself has surpassed Australia and Qatar as the biggest exporter of the fuel.
Venture Global's founders (who still own around half of the company) looked at the cost of building traditional LNG facilities and set out to take a different approach. They modified the design to focus on smaller modular units, which allows factories to fabricate pieces off-site.
The industry was sceptical, but Venture soon proved its doubters wrong. Its inaugural project, Calcasieu Pass, went from a final investment decision in 2019 to exporting fuel in just 29 months, making it one of the fastest LNG plants ever constructed (although, like most LNG projects, it busted its budget to the tune of $1 billion).
Venture plans to become the second-largest LNG producer in the US, behind only peer Cheniere Energy, which produces around 60 million tonnes per annum (Venture has plans to produce a little over half of that). A total of 90% of this is sold on long-term contracts. The total global supply forecast is expected to rise between 460 and 484 million tonnes in 2026 due to new capacity from the US and Qatar.
Unlike Cheniere, Venture has only fixed 70% of its sales. That leaves 30% to sell at the spot market, which could produce a windfall for the business. Indeed, management has said that a $1.00/MMBtu change in fixed liquefaction fees – the spread between the cost of purchasing natural gas in the US and selling LNG abroad – will impact full-year 2026 adjusted Ebitda by $575 million-$625 million.
The company has said it expects full-year Ebitda of $5.2 billion-$5.8 billion, assuming a fixed liquefaction fee range of $5.00- $6.00/ MMBtu. Following the recent turbulence in the market, the spread between US Henry Hub (the US natural-gas benchmark) and European TTF/Asian JKM benchmarks has jumped to as much as $15/MMBtu.
Venture's decision to leave 30% of production available for sale on the spot market could prove profitable this year, but the market has not factored this windfall into the company's valuation. Based on estimates compiled by analysts at investment bank UBS, the stock is trading at a forward, 2026 price-to-earnings (p/e) multiple of just 9.6.
These figures were compiled alongside the company's results for the fourth quarter of 2025, released at the end of February, before the recent conflict began. Based on the company's fourth-quarter outlook and long-term output growth projections, UBS had pencilled in revenue rising from $11 billion in 2026 to nearly $19 billion by 2029, with net income roughly doubling over the same period. All of these numbers are out of date, but they provide a good indication of Venture's estimated growth in a “normal” market.
One of the reasons Venture is so cheap, and has always been since its IPO in early 2025, is related to lawsuits hanging over the firm. In 2022, after the Ukraine war sent gas prices skyrocketing globally, Venture rerouted some of the cargoes destined for its customers with long-term supply agreements, such as Shell, BP and Repsol, to other customers willing to pay higher prices on the spot market. Those traders left out of pocket sued, claiming as much as $6 billion. Over the past few months, after several years of arbitration, the clouds have started to clear. While Venture lost a case with BP, it has won cases against Shell and Repsol, removing a lot of uncertainty.
Don't fear the debt
(Image credit: Future)
Another factor that appears to be acting as an overhang on the stock is the company's debt. At the end of 2025, it had a net debt-to-Ebitda ratio of five, leaving little room for manoeuvre. However, with a cash injection expected this year, thanks to the impact of higher natural gas spreads, the company has the opportunity to make a material dent in these liabilities. The stock looks like a promising play on the brewing energy crisis.
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Contributor and former deputy digital editor of MoneyWeek
Rupert is the former deputy digital editor of MoneyWeek. He's an active investor and has always been fascinated by the world of business and investing. His style has been heavily influenced by US investors Warren Buffett and Philip Carret. He is always looking for high-quality growth opportunities trading at a reasonable price, preferring cash generative businesses with strong balance sheets over blue-sky growth stocks.
Rupert has written for many UK and international publications including the Motley Fool, Gurufocus and ValueWalk, aimed at a range of readers; from the first timers to experienced high-net-worth individuals. Rupert has also founded and managed several businesses, including the New York-based hedge fund newsletter, Hidden Value Stocks. He has written over 20 ebooks and appeared as an expert commentator on the BBC World Service.
