Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:EXE) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Shares of Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:EXE - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the eighteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $122.35.

Several analysts have issued reports on EXE shares. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Chesapeake Energy from $117.00 to $115.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Stephens raised shares of Chesapeake Energy from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the company from $86.00 to $123.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Chesapeake Energy from $132.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Chesapeake Energy from $137.00 to $154.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Chesapeake Energy from $107.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Domenic J. Dell'osso, Jr. purchased 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $99.50 per share, for a total transaction of $248,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 107,845 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,730,577.50. This trade represents a 2.37 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 58.00% of the company's stock.

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Chesapeake Energy Stock Down 9.5 %

Shares of EXE stock traded down $10.54 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $100.01. The company's stock had a trading volume of 10,622,611 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,442,723. The firm's 50 day moving average is $104.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.00 and a quick ratio of 2.00. Chesapeake Energy has a 12-month low of $81.66 and a 12-month high of $114.03. The stock has a market cap of $23.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.73 and a beta of 0.44.

Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:EXE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. Chesapeake Energy had a return on equity of 2.74% and a net margin of 6.07%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Chesapeake Energy will post 1.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chesapeake Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Chesapeake 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.