Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:EXE) Price Target Raised to $139.00 at Piper Sandler

Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:EXE - Free Report) had its price target upped by Piper Sandler from $136.00 to $139.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

Several other research firms have also commented on EXE. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Chesapeake Energy from $137.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Chesapeake Energy from $107.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Benchmark increased their price target on shares of Chesapeake Energy from $93.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Chesapeake Energy from $115.00 to $114.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Stephens reduced their price objective on shares of Chesapeake Energy from $123.00 to $118.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. One investment 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, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $126.79.

Chesapeake Energy Price Performance

NASDAQ EXE remained flat at $115.68 during trading on Wednesday. 5,078,493 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,428,238. Chesapeake Energy has a 1-year low of $81.66 and a 1-year high of $117.66. 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 stock has a market cap of $27.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 71.41 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $108.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $103.88.

Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:EXE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.17. The company 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%. Research analysts expect that Chesapeake Energy will post 1.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chesapeake Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a $0.575 dividend. This represents a $2.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.99%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Chesapeake Energy's payout ratio is -42.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Domenic J. Dell'osso, Jr. purchased 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $99.50 per share, for a total transaction of $248,750.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 107,845 shares in the company, valued at $10,730,577.50. This trade represents a 2.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Chesapeake Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EXE. Vanguard Group Inc. acquired a new position in Chesapeake Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,973,033,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD purchased a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $1,310,932,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Energy in the first quarter worth $701,831,000. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new position in shares of Chesapeake Energy during the first quarter worth $624,083,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new position in shares of Chesapeake Energy during the first quarter worth $518,328,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.93% of the company's stock.

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.