Analysts Set Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:EXE) PT at $120.71

Shares of Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:EXE - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the eighteen brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four investment 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 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $122.35.

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup lifted their target price on Chesapeake Energy from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Chesapeake Energy in a report on Friday, January 17th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $108.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Chesapeake Energy in a research note on Friday, January 31st. They set a "buy" rating and a $121.00 target price for the company. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Chesapeake Energy from $117.00 to $115.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Stephens upgraded shares of Chesapeake Energy from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $86.00 to $123.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Domenic J. Dell'osso, Jr. bought 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $99.50 per share, with a total value of $248,750.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 107,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,730,577.50. This trade represents a 2.37 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 58.00% of the company's stock.

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Chesapeake Energy Stock Performance

Shares of EXE stock traded down $2.73 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $111.14. 1,037,483 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,358,044. The company has a market capitalization of $25.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 68.60 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $104.48. The company has a quick ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 2.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. Chesapeake Energy has a fifty-two week low of $81.66 and a fifty-two week high of $114.03.

Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:EXE - Get Free Report) last released 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. Chesapeake Energy had a net margin of 6.07% and a return on equity of 2.74%. The company had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. On average, analysts forecast that Chesapeake Energy will post 1.33 EPS for the current year.

Chesapeake Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th were issued a dividend of $0.575 per share. This represents a $2.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 11th. Chesapeake Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -55.83%.

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.