AlphaQuest LLC Makes New $943,000 Investment in Expand Energy Corporation $EXE

Key Points

• AlphaQuest LLC made a new investment of approximately $943,000 in Expand Energy Corporation, acquiring 8,467 shares in the first quarter.
• Expand Energy reported an EPS of $1.10 for the last quarter, missing analysts' expectations, but had revenue of $3.69 billion, exceeding estimates of $2.09 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.575 per share, representing an annualized yield of 2.4%, with a notably high dividend payout ratio of 589.74%.

AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new position in shares of Expand Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:EXE - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 8,467 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $943,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EXE. Harbour Investments Inc. acquired a new stake in Expand Energy during the first quarter worth about $27,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Expand Energy during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Cheviot Value Management LLC acquired a new stake in Expand Energy during the first quarter worth about $29,000. Pinney & Scofield Inc. acquired a new stake in Expand Energy during the first quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Princeton Global Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Expand Energy during the first quarter worth about $31,000. 97.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Expand Energy Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ EXE opened at $94.66 on Friday. Expand Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $69.12 and a fifty-two week high of $123.35. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $105.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $106.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market cap of $22.54 billion, a PE ratio of 242.72 and a beta of 0.46.

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

Expand Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.575 per share. This represents a $2.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 14th. Expand Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 589.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on EXE. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Expand Energy to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Roth Capital lowered Expand Energy from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $125.00 to $98.00 in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Capital One Financial lowered their target price on Expand Energy from $105.00 to $101.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 3rd. Barclays increased their target price on Expand Energy from $122.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Siebert Williams Shank lowered their target price on Expand Energy from $142.00 to $128.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Expand Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $127.42.

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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