Stephens Cuts Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:EXE) Price Target to $118.00

Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:EXE) had its target price decreased by Stephens from $123.00 to $118.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. Stephens currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

Several other analysts have also commented on EXE. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Chesapeake Energy from $96.00 to $101.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Benchmark lifted their price target on Chesapeake Energy from $93.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. UBS Group increased their price target on Chesapeake Energy from $119.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Chesapeake Energy in a research report on Friday, January 31st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $121.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Chesapeake Energy from $137.00 to $154.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $122.71.

Chesapeake Energy Price Performance

Shares of EXE opened at $106.49 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $104.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $99.03. The company has a market capitalization of $24.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 65.73 and a beta of 0.44. Chesapeake Energy has a fifty-two week low of $81.66 and a fifty-two week high of $114.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a current ratio of 2.00.

Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:EXE) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.02. Chesapeake Energy had a return on equity of 2.74% and a net margin of 6.07%. The firm had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. Research analysts predict that Chesapeake Energy will post 1.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Chesapeake Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th were issued a $0.575 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $2.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.16%. Chesapeake Energy’s payout ratio is -55.83%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Domenic J. Dell’osso, Jr. bought 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $99.50 per share, for a total transaction of $248,750.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 107,845 shares in the company, valued at $10,730,577.50. This represents a 2.37 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 58.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EXE. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Chesapeake Energy during the first quarter worth about $31,000. Peoples Bank KS purchased a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Energy during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Energy during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $56,000. Piscataqua Savings Bank acquired a new position in Chesapeake Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $58,000. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Chesapeake Energy in the first quarter worth approximately $78,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.93% of the company’s stock.

About Chesapeake 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.