Advisors Preferred LLC Makes New Investment in Expand Energy Corporation $EXE

Key Points

• Advisors Preferred LLC opened a new position of 43,241 shares (~$4.75M) in Q4, while several large funds (e.g., Capital Research and State Street) materially increased holdings, leaving 97.93% of the stock owned by institutional investors.
• Expand Energy beat Q1 expectations (EPS $3.83 vs. $3.61; revenue $4.40B vs. $3.53B), announced a $0.575 quarterly dividend (2.3% yield) and a strategic push into LNG, and carries a consensus Moderate Buy with a $132.09 price target despite mixed analyst views.

Advisors Preferred LLC acquired a new position in shares of Expand Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:EXE - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 43,241 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,747,000.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in shares of Expand Energy by 161.5% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 15,959,335 shares of the company's stock worth $1,695,520,000 after purchasing an additional 9,856,576 shares during the last quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Expand Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $169,783,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Expand Energy by 862.3% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,256,987 shares of the company's stock worth $133,542,000 after purchasing an additional 1,126,363 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Expand Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $115,504,000. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Expand Energy by 8.3% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,183,560 shares of the company's stock worth $1,400,621,000 after purchasing an additional 1,014,484 shares during the last quarter. 97.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on EXE. Weiss Ratings upgraded Expand Energy from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Stephens upped their price objective on Expand Energy from $145.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. William Blair cut Expand Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday. Benchmark upped their price objective on Expand Energy from $112.00 to $124.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price objective on Expand Energy from $145.00 to $144.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $132.09.

Expand Energy Price Performance

NASDAQ:EXE opened at $100.12 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock's fifty day moving average is $103.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $107.52. Expand Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $91.01 and a 52 week high of $126.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.47 and a beta of 0.36.

Expand Energy (NASDAQ:EXE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $3.83 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.53 billion. Research analysts anticipate that Expand Energy Corporation will post 9.05 EPS for the current year.

Expand Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.575 per share. This represents a $2.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 14th. Expand Energy's dividend payout ratio is 17.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Michael Wichterich purchased 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $107.50 per share, for a total transaction of $215,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 83,498 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,976,035. This trade represents a 2.45% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.22% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

More Expand Energy News

Here are the key news stories impacting Expand Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Truist reaffirmed a "Buy" on EXE and raised its price target to $134, signaling bullish analyst support and providing upside thesis for investors. Expand Energy NASDAQ: EXE Given "Buy" Rating at Truist Financial
• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results and the earnings call highlighted a rebound in profit, strong revenue upside and a strategic push into LNG (including a long-term LNG deal), which support a bull case for longer-term growth. These items underpin recent positive analyst notes and investor interest. Expand Energy EXE Q1 2026 Earnings Transcript The Bull Case For Expand Energy (EXE) Could Change Following Q1 Profit Rebound And 20-Year LNG Deal Expand Energy Earnings Call Highlights Cash and LNG Push
• Positive Sentiment: Style/quant coverage (Zacks) highlights EXE as a strong growth-oriented pick based on its style scores, which can attract momentum and retail/quant flows. Here's Why Expand Energy (EXE) is a Strong Growth Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent syndicated coverage shows mixed analyst opinions on EXE alongside peer commentary; useful for context but not a single directional catalyst. Analysts’ Opinions Are Mixed on These Energy Stocks: Expand Energy (EXE) and Beach Energy Analysts Offer Insights on Energy Companies: Enterprise Products Partners (EPD) and Expand Energy (EXE)
• Negative Sentiment: William Blair cut EXE, citing a need for margin improvement — a direct negative from a sell-side firm that can pressure sentiment and institutional positioning. Expand Energy cut at William Blair, waiting for margin improvement
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually large put activity (11,220 puts, ~60% above average) signals elevated bearish options bets or hedging interest, which can amplify downside volatility.
• Negative Sentiment: Macro: Reuters reports a U.S. natural gas glut while Europe/Asia tighten — oversupply in West Texas can depress domestic gas prices and margins for U.S.-focused producers like EXE. While Asia and Europe scramble for natural gas, the US glut has nowhere to go

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.