Expand Energy (NASDAQ:EXE) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.07 EPS

Expand Energy (NASDAQ:EXE) released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The company reported $3.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.76 by $0.07, Zacks reports. The business had revenue of $4.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.42 billion. Expand Energy had a return on equity of 8.17% and a net margin of 15.00%.

Expand Energy Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:EXE traded up $1.52 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $102.51. The company had a trading volume of 1,255,237 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,839,391. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $103.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $107.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.57 and a beta of 0.47. Expand Energy has a one year low of $91.01 and a one year high of $126.62.

Expand Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 14th will be paid a $0.575 dividend. This represents a $2.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 14th. Expand Energy’s payout ratio is 17.15%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Michael Wichterich purchased 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The stock was acquired 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 owned 83,498 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,976,035. This represents a 2.45% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Expand Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EXE. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Expand Energy by 564.6% during the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 271 shares in the last quarter. DV Equities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Expand Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Expand Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Expand Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Expand Energy by 25.4% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 543 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. 97.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. KeyCorp reaffirmed a “sector weight” rating on shares of Expand Energy in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $141.00 price objective on shares of Expand Energy in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Expand Energy from $136.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Expand Energy in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Benchmark boosted their price target on Expand Energy from $112.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $132.00.

Key Expand Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat on both revenue and EPS: EXE reported Q1 results with revenue of $4.4B (well above consensus) and EPS of $3.83, topping estimates — the top-line strength and beat are driving upward re-rating. Expand Energy Q1 Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Huge free cash flow and balance-sheet moves: Management highlighted roughly $1.7B adjusted free cash flow in Q1 and used cash to redeem ~ $1.3B of debt, cutting annual interest expense — a clear positive for credit profile and shareholder returns. Seeking Alpha: Free Cash Flow
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared and buy-side reaffirmations: EXE announced a quarterly dividend (shares of record May 14) and Truist reiterated a Buy with a slightly higher $134 PT — both support demand for the shares. Benzinga: Truist Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Long-term LNG commercial developments cited in bull-case pieces: Analysts and commentary point to a recently referenced 20?year LNG offtake/contract possibility that could materially boost long-term earnings if finalized, but details remain preliminary. Yahoo: Bull Case / LNG Deal
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call/transcript available for detail: The Q1 call highlighted production, pricing exposure and capital allocation priorities — useful for modeling but containing few new surprises beyond the headline numbers. Yahoo: Q1 Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Profitability declines year-over-year on some metrics: Several writeups note operating and net income were down vs. year-ago despite the beat (driven by prior-period comparisons and one-offs), underscoring earnings volatility tied to commodity prices. QuiverQuant: Profitability Notes
• Negative Sentiment: Institutional positioning is mixed: Large institutional moves (notably big reductions by some funds in prior quarters) and a range of analyst price targets (some outliers well below the consensus) are reminders of positioning risk and divergent views. QuiverQuant: Institutional / Analyst Notes

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.