Expand Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:EXE) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Expand Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:EXE) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-three ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, fourteen have issued a buy recommendation and three have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $126.8889.

EXE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Freedom Broker upgraded Expand Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Expand Energy from $99.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Roth Capital reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $93.00 price objective on shares of Expand Energy in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Johnson Rice lowered Expand Energy from a “buy” rating to an “accumulate” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $135.00 to $125.00 in a report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price objective on Expand Energy from $117.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th.

Expand Energy Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:EXE opened at $97.91 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 0.96. Expand Energy has a 52-week low of $84.99 and a 52-week high of $126.62. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $92.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $97.00. The company has a market capitalization of $22.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.46 and a beta of 0.34.

Expand Energy (NASDAQ:EXE) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $1.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $2.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.05 billion. Expand Energy had a return on equity of 10.33% and a net margin of 20.46%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Expand Energy will post 8.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Expand Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 13th were paid a $0.575 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 13th. This represents a $2.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Expand Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 19.86%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Expand Energy news, CEO Michael Wichterich acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $88.90 per share, for a total transaction of $88,900.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 85,498 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,600,772.20. This trade represents a 1.18% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.22% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Expand Energy

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH increased its stake 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 acquiring an additional 88 shares during the period. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of Expand Energy by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 5,377 shares of the company’s stock worth $490,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Expand Energy by 25.4% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 543 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Expand Energy by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,590 shares of the company’s stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.93% of the company’s stock.

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.