Long Focus Capital Management LLC Acquires New Shares in Expand Energy Corporation $EXE

Key Points

• Long Focus Capital Management LLC acquired 10,300 shares of Expand Energy Corporation, valued at approximately $1,147,000, as part of its first-quarter investments.
• Several major institutional investors, including Vanguard Group Inc., have significantly increased their stakes in Expand Energy, showcasing strong institutional interest in the company.
• Expand Energy recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.575 per share, with a dividend payout ratio currently at 589.74%, indicating a high return for investors despite recent earnings miss.

Long Focus Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Expand Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:EXE - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 10,300 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,147,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Expand Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Harbour Investments Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Expand Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Expand Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Pinney & Scofield Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Expand Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Cheviot Value Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Expand Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 97.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EXE has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group reduced their price target on Expand Energy from $145.00 to $132.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Wolfe Research dropped their price target on Expand Energy from $150.00 to $148.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Barclays increased their price target on Expand Energy from $122.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Expand Energy from $121.00 to $120.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised Expand Energy to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Expand Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $127.12.

Insider Buying and Selling at Expand Energy

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

Expand Energy Stock Performance

NASDAQ EXE traded down $1.10 on Thursday, reaching $95.98. The stock had a trading volume of 1,207,603 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,697,220. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $101.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $106.46. Expand Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $69.12 and a 1-year high of $123.35. The company has a market cap of $22.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 245.99 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.14 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $3.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.09 billion. Expand Energy had a return on equity of 5.76% and a net margin of 2.41%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Expand Energy Corporation will post 1.33 EPS for the current year.

Expand Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 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 of this dividend is Thursday, August 14th. Expand Energy's dividend payout ratio is 589.74%.

Expand 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.