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

Key Points

• Expand Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:EXE) has received an average recommendation of "Buy" from twenty-one analysts, with an average target price of $127.42 for shares over the next twelve months.
• The company reported a missed earnings estimate for the last quarter, with earnings per share (EPS) of $1.10, compared to the expected $1.14, despite a significant revenue of $3.69 billion.
• Expand Energy recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.575 per share, yielding 2.4%, with a notable dividend payout ratio of 589.74%.

Expand Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:EXE - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Buy" from the twenty-one brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seventeen have given a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $127.4231.

Several research firms have recently commented on EXE. Barclays raised their price objective on Expand Energy from $122.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. KeyCorp set a $135.00 price objective on Expand Energy and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, June 13th. Roth Capital downgraded Expand Energy from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $125.00 to $98.00 in a research note on Monday, August 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on Expand Energy from $127.00 to $125.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $135.00 price objective on Expand Energy and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 14th.

Expand Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Expand Energy stock traded down $0.46 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $96.78. 1,493,936 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,202,197. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $103.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $106.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.39 and a beta of 0.46. Expand Energy has a one year low of $69.12 and a one year high of $123.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

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

Expand Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 14th will be paid a $0.575 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 14th. This represents a $2.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Expand Energy's dividend payout ratio is 589.74%.

Insider Transactions at Expand Energy

In other Expand Energy news, COO Joshua J. Viets acquired 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 18th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $92.16 per share, with a total value of $184,320.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief operating officer directly owned 61,676 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,684,060.16. The trade was a 3.35% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Domenic J. Dell'osso, Jr. acquired 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 15th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $95.86 per share, with a total value of $239,650.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 166,715 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $15,981,299.90. This trade represents a 1.52% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Expand Energy

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in EXE. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of Expand Energy in the first quarter worth about $36,507,000. Parallel Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Expand Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $286,000. Doliver Advisors LP bought a new position in shares of Expand Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $446,000. Peoples Bank KS bought a new position in Expand Energy during the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Expand Energy during the 1st quarter valued at about $466,000. 97.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.