Expand Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:EXE) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Wall Street sentiment is moderately positive on Expand Energy, with 19 brokerages giving it an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 12-month target price of about $130.19.
• Recent analyst actions have been mixed, with several firms cutting price targets or downgrading the stock, including Barclays moving to “reduce,” while others such as Morgan Stanley and Truist still kept bullish or buy ratings.
• The company recently beat earnings and revenue estimates, reporting $3.83 EPS on $4.40 billion in revenue, and it also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.575 per share, which annualizes to a 2.6% yield.

Shares of Expand Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:EXE - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the nineteen brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $130.1875.

A number of analysts have commented on EXE shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Expand Energy from $139.00 to $131.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Expand Energy from $134.00 to $117.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Barclays downgraded Expand Energy from an "overweight" rating to a "reduce" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Citigroup cut their target price on Expand Energy from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, KeyCorp reaffirmed a "sector weight" rating on shares of Expand Energy in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd.

Insider Activity at Expand Energy

In related news, CFO Marcel Teunissen bought 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were bought at an average price of $96.43 per share, for a total transaction of $192,860.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 9,144 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $881,755.92. The trade was a 28.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael Wichterich bought 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $88.90 per share, for a total transaction of $88,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly 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. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have bought 4,000 shares of company stock valued at $375,120. Insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Expand Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its stake in shares of Expand Energy by 74.6% in the 4th 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. raised its stake in Expand Energy by 350.9% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 248 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the period. Eastern Bank acquired a new position in Expand Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its holdings in Expand Energy by 379.6% in the first quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 259 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares in the last quarter. Finally, University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new position in Expand Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. 97.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Expand Energy Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ EXE opened at $88.13 on Friday. The company's 50 day moving average price is $91.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $99.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11. Expand Energy has a 52-week low of $84.99 and a 52-week high of $126.62. The company has a market capitalization of $21.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.57 and a beta of 0.34.

Expand Energy (NASDAQ:EXE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $3.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.61 by $0.22. Expand Energy had a net margin of 22.53% and a return on equity of 10.26%. The company had revenue of $4.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.53 billion. Equities analysts forecast that Expand Energy will post 8.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Expand Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 14th were issued a dividend of $0.575 per share. This represents a $2.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 14th. Expand Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 17.15%.

Expand Energy Company Profile

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.

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