Vanguard Group Inc. Reduces Holdings in Expand Energy Corporation $EXE

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. sold 11,799 shares but still owns 27,901,508 shares of Expand Energy (NASDAQ:EXE), about 11.71% of the company valued at roughly $3.08 billion.
• Q1 results beat expectations: Expand Energy reported revenue of $4.40B (vs. $3.42B consensus) and EPS of $3.83 (vs. $3.76), with very strong adjusted free cash flow (~$1.7B per Seeking Alpha) that funded roughly $1.3B of debt repayment.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.575 per share (annualized $2.30, ~2.4% yield), while analysts remain largely positive (average price target ~$131.95) and insiders, including the CEO, have recently purchased shares.

Vanguard Group Inc. decreased its position in shares of Expand Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:EXE - Free Report) by 0.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 27,901,508 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,799 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 11.71% of Expand Energy worth $3,079,210,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EXE. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in Expand Energy by 350.9% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 248 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the period. ESL Trust Services LLC purchased a new stake in Expand Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Abound Wealth Management increased its stake in Expand Energy by 890.0% during the 4th quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 297 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 267 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Expand Energy by 85.0% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 433 shares of the company's stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 199 shares during the period. Finally, Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in Expand Energy by 54.5% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 414 shares of the company's stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.93% of the company's stock.

Expand Energy Trading Up 0.7%

EXE opened at $96.96 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.27 billion, a PE ratio of 12.86 and a beta of 0.47. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $103.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $107.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.01. Expand Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $91.01 and a 12-month high of $126.62.

Expand Energy (NASDAQ:EXE - Get Free Report) last posted 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 $3.76 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $4.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.42 billion. Expand Energy had a net margin of 15.00% and a return on equity of 8.17%. As a group, research analysts expect that Expand Energy Corporation will post 8.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Expand Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.575 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $2.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. Expand Energy's payout ratio is presently 30.50%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Expand Energy news, CEO Michael Wichterich bought 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $107.50 per share, for a total transaction of $215,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 83,498 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,976,035. This trade represents a 2.45% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Expand Energy News

Here are the key news stories impacting Expand Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations: revenue of $4.40B topped consensus and EPS of $3.83 beat estimates — the report shows stronger-than-expected top-line and unit performance. Expand Energy beats first-quarter profit estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Very strong free cash flow: Seeking Alpha notes roughly $1.7B adjusted FCF in Q1 (helped by Winter Storm Fern / higher NYMEX gas), allowing nearly $1.3B of debt repayment and >$80M annual interest-cost reduction — directly improves leverage and cash available for buybacks/dividends. Excellent Q1 2026 Free Cash Flow
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend initiated: EXE declared a quarterly dividend of $0.575 per share (yield ~2.4%), signaling management is returning cash to shareholders and supporting the stock’s income profile. (Record/ex-dividend dates in May/June.)
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and insider signals supportive: Multiple recent buy/overweight ratings and a median 6‑month price target (~$133) above current levels, plus insider purchases reported — adds conviction to upside thesis. Q1 release and analyst/insider summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational/cash details: Cash from operations and balance-sheet metrics improved (higher cash, capex increase, liabilities down year-over-year) — important for long-term valuation but less likely to move intraday than headline beats. Q1 2026 Results Release
• Negative Sentiment: Commodity risk: natural gas prices have pulled back after a record storage build, and the NYMEX strip averages lower for the rest of the year — this exposes EXE’s near-term realized prices and could cap upside if prices remain weak. Natural gas drops on record storage build
• Negative Sentiment: Profitability mix and year-over-year declines: some third‑party summaries highlight large YoY declines in net income/operating profit metrics despite beats — investors may scrutinize sustainability of margins and one‑off effects behind the quarter. Earnings: revenue soars, EPS tops estimates

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on EXE shares. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $141.00 price target on shares of Expand Energy in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Expand Energy from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $123.00 price target on shares of Expand Energy in a report on Monday, February 23rd. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Expand Energy from $139.00 to $133.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Expand Energy from $136.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $131.95.

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.

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.