Expand Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:EXE) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Expand Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:EXE) has been rated with a consensus of "Moderate Buy" by 23 brokerages, with an average 1-year price target of $127.62.
• Insider activity includes COO Joshua J. Viets and CEO Domenic J. Dell'osso, Jr. purchasing shares recently, indicating confidence in the company's future.
• The company reported a net revenue of $3.69 billion in the last quarter, significantly exceeding analysts' expectations of $2.09 billion.

Expand Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:EXE - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-three brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $127.6154.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on EXE shares. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Expand Energy from $132.00 to $131.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Expand Energy from $139.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Expand Energy from $141.00 to $137.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Expand Energy from $121.00 to $120.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Expand Energy from $139.00 to $136.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th.

Insider Activity at Expand Energy

In related news, COO Joshua J. Viets purchased 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 18th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $92.16 per share, with a total value of $184,320.00. Following the purchase, the chief operating officer directly owned 61,676 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,684,060.16. This trade represents a 3.35% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Domenic J. Dell'osso, Jr. acquired 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 15th. The stock was bought at an average price of $95.86 per share, with a total value of $239,650.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 166,715 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $15,981,299.90. The trade was a 1.52% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Expand Energy

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Expand Energy during the first quarter valued at about $2,973,033,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD bought a new stake in shares of Expand Energy in the first quarter worth about $1,310,932,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Expand Energy during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $701,831,000. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new position in Expand Energy during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $624,083,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new stake in shares of Expand Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $518,328,000. Institutional investors own 97.93% of the company's stock.

Expand Energy Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of EXE opened at $103.17 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. Expand Energy has a 1-year low of $82.69 and a 1-year high of $123.35. The company has a market capitalization of $24.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 264.55 and a beta of 0.47. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $99.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $105.98.

Expand Energy (NASDAQ:EXE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.14 by ($0.04). Expand Energy had a net margin of 2.41% and a return on equity of 5.76%. The company had revenue of $3.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.09 billion. Sell-side analysts forecast that Expand Energy will post 1.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Expand Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 14th were paid a $0.575 dividend. This represents a $2.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 14th. Expand Energy's payout ratio is 589.74%.

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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