Expand Energy Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:EXE)

Expand Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:EXE) saw some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Investors acquired 25,214 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 263% compared to the typical volume of 6,944 put options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Expand Energy

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD acquired a new stake in Expand Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,310,932,000. Capital Research Global Investors raised its holdings in shares of Expand Energy by 161.5% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 15,959,335 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,695,520,000 after buying an additional 9,856,576 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC purchased a new position in shares of Expand Energy in the first quarter worth $341,708,000. Glendon Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Expand Energy during the first quarter worth $237,256,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Expand Energy during the first quarter valued at $213,008,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.93% of the company’s stock.

Expand Energy Stock Up 0.3%

NASDAQ:EXE traded up $0.37 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $108.11. 744,600 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,615,528. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.75 billion, a PE ratio of 30.75 and a beta of 0.45. Expand Energy has a 12-month low of $91.01 and a 12-month high of $126.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. The business has a 50-day moving average of $111.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $107.22.

Expand Energy (NASDAQ:EXE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.09. Expand Energy had a net margin of 7.99% and a return on equity of 6.31%. The business had revenue of $2.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.98 billion. On average, equities analysts forecast that Expand Energy will post 1.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Expand Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 13th were paid a dividend of $0.575 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 13th. This represents a $2.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Expand Energy’s payout ratio is presently 65.34%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on EXE shares. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Expand Energy from $132.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. KeyCorp lowered their price target on Expand Energy from $135.00 to $127.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Expand Energy from $141.00 to $137.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Barclays reduced their price objective on Expand Energy from $139.00 to $136.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Expand Energy to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $129.44.

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.