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

Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:EXE) had its price objective lifted by Mizuho from $136.00 to $141.00 in a research report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the stock.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on EXE. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Chesapeake Energy in a report on Friday, January 31st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $121.00 price target on the stock. Raymond James assumed coverage on shares of Chesapeake Energy in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. They issued a “strong-buy” rating and a $135.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Chesapeake Energy from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Chesapeake Energy from $131.00 to $129.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $116.00 price target on shares of Chesapeake Energy in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.33.

Chesapeake Energy Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of EXE opened at $114.09 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $106.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $101.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 70.43 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a current ratio of 2.00. Chesapeake Energy has a 52 week low of $81.66 and a 52 week high of $114.44.

Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:EXE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $2.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.10 billion. Chesapeake Energy had a net margin of 6.07% and a return on equity of 2.74%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Chesapeake Energy will post 1.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Chesapeake Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.575 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $2.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.02%. Chesapeake Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -42.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Domenic J. Dell’osso, Jr. purchased 2,500 shares of Chesapeake Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $99.50 per share, for a total transaction of $248,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 107,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,730,577.50. This represents a 2.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EXE. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Chesapeake Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Harbour Investments Inc. bought a new stake in Chesapeake Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Chesapeake Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in Chesapeake Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Pinney & Scofield Inc. bought a new stake in Chesapeake Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.