TD Cowen Upgrades Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:EXE) to Buy

TD Cowen upgraded shares of Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:EXE - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday, MarketBeat reports. TD Cowen currently has $116.00 price target on the stock, up from their prior price target of $108.00.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on EXE. Barclays reduced their target price on Chesapeake Energy from $117.00 to $115.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Chesapeake Energy from $115.00 to $114.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $116.00 target price on shares of Chesapeake Energy in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Benchmark upped their price objective on Chesapeake Energy from $93.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Chesapeake Energy from $137.00 to $154.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $122.82.

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Chesapeake Energy Stock Up 3.9 %

NASDAQ:EXE traded up $3.87 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $103.42. 4,418,601 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,552,379. 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 twelve month low of $81.66 and a twelve month high of $114.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 63.84 and a beta of 0.44. The company's 50 day moving average is $104.32.

Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:EXE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 analysts' expectations of $1.82 billion. On average, equities research analysts expect that Chesapeake Energy will post 1.33 EPS for the current 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 given a $0.575 dividend. This represents a $2.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 11th. Chesapeake Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently -55.83%.

Insider Activity at Chesapeake Energy

In other Chesapeake Energy news, CEO Domenic J. Dell'osso, Jr. purchased 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was purchased 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 in the company, valued at $10,730,577.50. The trade was a 2.37 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 58.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in Chesapeake Energy during the first quarter valued at $36,507,000. Parallel Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Chesapeake Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $286,000. Doliver Advisors LP purchased a new stake in Chesapeake Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $446,000. Peoples Bank KS purchased a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Energy in the first quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Chesapeake Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $466,000. 97.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.