Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Makes New $57.15 Million Investment in Expand Energy Corporation $EXE

Key Points

• Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich opened a new position in Expand Energy, buying 514,911 shares valued at about $57.15 million in the fourth quarter and ending with 0.22% ownership.
• Expand Energy reported a strong quarter, with EPS of $3.83 versus the $3.61 consensus and revenue of $4.40 billion versus estimates of $3.53 billion.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.575 per share, and analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $132.09.

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich acquired a new position in shares of Expand Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:EXE - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 514,911 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $57,153,000. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich owned 0.22% of Expand Energy at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH raised its holdings in Expand Energy by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 1,383 shares of the company's stock worth $147,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC raised its holdings in Expand Energy by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Hara Capital LLC now owns 3,145 shares of the company's stock worth $334,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board raised its holdings in Expand Energy by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 9,800 shares of the company's stock worth $1,041,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its holdings in Expand Energy by 74.6% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 234 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, McGowan Group Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Expand Energy by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. McGowan Group Asset Management Inc. now owns 24,073 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,657,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.93% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Michael Wichterich purchased 2,000 shares of Expand Energy stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $107.50 per share, for a total transaction of $215,000.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 83,498 shares in the company, valued at $8,976,035. This represents a 2.45% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Marcel Teunissen purchased 2,000 shares of Expand Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $96.43 per share, with a total value of $192,860.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 9,144 shares in the company, valued at $881,755.92. The trade was a 28.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Expand Energy Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of Expand Energy stock opened at $95.65 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $22.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.13 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Expand Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $91.01 and a 52-week high of $126.62. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $102.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $107.20.

Expand Energy (NASDAQ:EXE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $3.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.61 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $4.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.53 billion. Expand Energy had a return on equity of 10.26% and a net margin of 22.53%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Expand Energy Corporation will post 8.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Expand Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.575 per share. This represents a $2.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 14th. Expand Energy's payout ratio is currently 17.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays lifted their target price on Expand Energy from $125.00 to $127.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Weiss Ratings raised Expand Energy from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. William Blair cut Expand Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. TD Cowen raised Expand Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Expand Energy in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $132.09.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EXE? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Expand Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:EXE - Free Report).

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.