Expand Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:EXE) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Expand Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:EXE) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $131.4545.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on EXE. William Blair downgraded Expand Energy from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $123.00 target price on Expand Energy in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $134.00 target price (up from $133.00) on shares of Expand Energy in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Expand Energy from $133.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Expand Energy from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th.

Expand Energy Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of EXE opened at $88.44 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $21.16 billion, a PE ratio of 6.60 and a beta of 0.33. The business has a fifty day moving average of $94.49 and a 200 day moving average of $103.12. Expand Energy has a 52-week low of $86.37 and a 52-week high of $126.62. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21.

Expand Energy (NASDAQ:EXE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $3.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.61 by $0.22. Expand Energy had a return on equity of 10.26% and a net margin of 22.53%.The company had revenue of $4.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.53 billion. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Expand Energy will post 8.7 EPS for the current year.

Expand Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th were given a dividend of $0.575 per share. This represents a $2.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 14th. Expand Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Expand Energy

In other Expand Energy news, CEO Michael Wichterich bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $88.90 per share, for a total transaction of $88,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 85,498 shares in the company, valued at $7,600,772.20. This trade represents a 1.18% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Marcel Teunissen bought 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $96.43 per share, with a total value of $192,860.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 9,144 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $881,755.92. The trade was a 28.00% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have bought 4,000 shares of company stock valued at $375,120. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Expand Energy

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in EXE. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp increased its stake in shares of Expand Energy by 74.6% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 234 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of Expand Energy by 350.9% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 248 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the period. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its stake in shares of Expand Energy by 379.6% during the first quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 259 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 205 shares during the period. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new position in shares of Expand Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Ascentis Independent Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Expand Energy during the first quarter valued at $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.93% of the company’s stock.

About Expand Energy

Expand Energy Corporation is an independent natural gas producer principally in the United States. Expand Energy Corporation, formerly known as Chesapeake Energy Corporation, is based in OKLAHOMA CITY.