apricus wealth LLC Takes Position in Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:EXE)

apricus wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:EXE - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 35,420 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,943,000. Chesapeake Energy accounts for 2.3% of apricus wealth LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rhumbline Advisers purchased a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $43,592,000. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,507,000. Mercuria Capital Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,283,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $18,777,000. Finally, Vest Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $11,682,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.93% of the company's stock.

Chesapeake Energy Price Performance

NASDAQ:EXE traded up $2.73 on Thursday, reaching $114.96. 2,613,263 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,376,409. The company has a quick ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 2.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $109.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $104.97. The firm has a market cap of $27.36 billion, a PE ratio of 70.96 and a beta of 0.49. Chesapeake Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $81.66 and a 12 month high of $120.04.

Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:EXE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.17. Chesapeake Energy had a return on equity of 2.74% and a net margin of 6.07%. The firm had revenue of $2.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.10 billion. Equities research analysts forecast that Chesapeake Energy Corporation will post 1.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Chesapeake Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a dividend of $0.575 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $2.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.00%. Chesapeake Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -42.91%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EXE has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. TD Cowen upgraded Chesapeake Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the company from $108.00 to $116.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. KeyCorp upgraded Chesapeake Energy from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $130.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Chesapeake Energy to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. UBS Group dropped their price target on Chesapeake Energy from $131.00 to $129.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their price target on Chesapeake Energy from $133.00 to $131.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $126.79.

Chesapeake Energy 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.