Short Interest in Expand Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:EXE) Declines By 15.0%

Expand Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:EXE) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest during the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 7,285,730 shares, a decline of 15.0% from the January 29th total of 8,573,285 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 3,470,061 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.1 days. Currently, 3.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Currently, 3.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 3,470,061 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.1 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EXE has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Benchmark raised their price target on shares of Expand Energy from $112.00 to $124.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company set a $123.00 price objective on shares of Expand Energy in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Expand Energy from $136.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Expand Energy from $118.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Expand Energy from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $130.38.

Expand Energy Price Performance

EXE stock opened at $106.76 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.01. Expand Energy has a 52-week low of $91.01 and a 52-week high of $126.62. The company has a market capitalization of $25.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.16 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $106.33 and a 200-day moving average price of $106.44.

Expand Energy (NASDAQ:EXE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The company reported $2.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $3.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.28 billion. Expand Energy had a return on equity of 8.17% and a net margin of 15.00%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Expand Energy will post 1.33 EPS for the current year.

Expand Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 5th will be given a dividend of $0.575 per share. This represents a $2.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 5th. Expand Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.50%.

Institutional Trading of Expand Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp lifted its position in shares of Expand Energy by 74.6% in 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 during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in Expand Energy by 350.9% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 248 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in Expand Energy by 255.6% in the second quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 184 shares during the period. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new stake in Expand Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Abound Wealth Management grew its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 267 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.93% of the company’s stock.

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.