Expand Energy (NASDAQ:EXE) Reaches New 12-Month Low - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Expand Energy hit a new 52-week low, trading as low as $86.33 after closing at $88.97 the previous day, highlighting continued weakness in the stock.
• Despite the drop, analysts remain mostly constructive: the consensus rating is Moderate Buy with a price target of $129.78, though several firms recently cut targets or downgraded the stock.
• The company recently beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates and continues to return cash to shareholders with a quarterly dividend of $0.575 per share, yielding about 2.7% annually.

Expand Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:EXE - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $86.33 and last traded at $86.8750, with a volume of 1560643 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $88.97.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on EXE. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Expand Energy from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. William Blair downgraded shares of Expand Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Expand Energy from $136.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Expand Energy from $134.00 to $117.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Expand Energy from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $129.78.

Expand Energy Stock Performance

The stock's 50-day moving average price is $92.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $100.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The company has a market capitalization of $20.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.37 and a beta of 0.34.

Expand Energy (NASDAQ:EXE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $3.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.61 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $4.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.53 billion. Expand Energy had a net margin of 22.53% and a return on equity of 10.26%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Expand Energy Corporation will post 8.61 EPS for the current year.

Expand Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 14th were paid a $0.575 dividend. This represents a $2.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 14th. Expand Energy's payout ratio is presently 17.15%.

Insider Activity at Expand Energy

In related news, CFO Marcel Teunissen purchased 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $96.43 per share, for a total transaction of $192,860.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 9,144 shares of the company's stock, valued at $881,755.92. This trade represents a 28.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael Wichterich purchased 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 85,498 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,600,772.20. This trade represents a 1.18% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have bought 4,000 shares of company stock valued at $375,120 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Expand Energy

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Expand Energy by 350.9% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 248 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the period. Eastern Bank bought a new stake in Expand Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its position in Expand Energy by 379.6% in the 1st quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 259 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. Finally, University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new position in Expand Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. 97.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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