Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:EXE) Price Target Raised to $141.00

Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:EXE) had its price target increased by Mizuho from $136.00 to $141.00 in a report released on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the stock.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Chesapeake Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $108.00 to $116.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Raymond James initiated coverage on shares of Chesapeake Energy in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. They set a “strong-buy” rating and a $135.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Chesapeake Energy from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Morgan Stanley boosted 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, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $116.00 price objective on shares of Chesapeake Energy in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.33.

Chesapeake Energy Stock Performance

Shares of EXE opened at $114.09 on Tuesday. Chesapeake Energy has a one year low of $81.66 and a one year high of $114.44. The company has a 50-day moving average of $106.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $101.87. The stock has a market cap of $27.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 70.43 and a beta of 0.46. 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 (NASDAQ:EXE) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.17. Chesapeake Energy had a net margin of 6.07% and a return on equity of 2.74%. The company had revenue of $2.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.10 billion. On average, equities research analysts expect that Chesapeake Energy will post 1.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Chesapeake Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a $0.575 dividend. This represents a $2.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Chesapeake Energy’s dividend payout ratio is -42.91%.

Insider Activity

In other 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 bought at an average price of $99.50 per share, with a total value of $248,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 107,845 shares in the company, valued at $10,730,577.50. This trade represents a 2.37% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Chesapeake Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of EXE. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of Chesapeake Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $36,507,000. Parallel Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Chesapeake Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $286,000. Doliver Advisors LP bought a new stake in Chesapeake Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $446,000. Peoples Bank KS acquired a new stake in Chesapeake Energy in the 1st quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Chesapeake Energy in the 1st quarter worth $466,000. Institutional investors own 97.93% of the company’s stock.

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.