Hardin Capital Partners LLC Buys New Shares in Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:EXE)

Hardin Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:EXE - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 4,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $501,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Peoples Bank KS bought a new stake in Chesapeake Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. Parallel Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Chesapeake Energy in the first quarter valued at about $286,000. Doliver Advisors LP purchased a new position in Chesapeake Energy in the first quarter valued at about $446,000. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Chesapeake Energy in the first quarter valued at about $466,000. Finally, Sanders Morris Harris LLC purchased a new position in Chesapeake Energy in the first quarter valued at about $618,000. 97.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EXE has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Chesapeake Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $108.00 to $116.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Chesapeake Energy from $136.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Stephens dropped their target price on shares of Chesapeake Energy from $123.00 to $118.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Chesapeake Energy from $136.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Chesapeake Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $126.79.

Chesapeake Energy Price Performance

Chesapeake Energy stock traded down $0.06 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $116.14. 784,725 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,395,783. The company's fifty day moving average is $109.06 and its 200-day moving average is $104.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a current ratio of 2.00. The firm has a market cap of $27.64 billion, a PE ratio of 71.69 and a beta of 0.49. Chesapeake Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $81.66 and a 52 week high of $120.04.

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

Chesapeake Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were issued a $0.575 dividend. This represents a $2.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. Chesapeake Energy's payout ratio is -42.91%.

Chesapeake 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.