Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Put Options on Expand Energy (NASDAQ:EXE)

Expand Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:EXE) was the target of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Investors purchased 11,605 put options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 51% compared to the average volume of 7,692 put options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on EXE shares. Johnson Rice lowered Expand Energy from a “buy” rating to an “accumulate” rating and cut their target price for the company from $135.00 to $125.00 in a research note on Monday, August 17th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Expand Energy from $122.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price target on shares of Expand Energy from $160.00 to $127.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 5th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Expand Energy from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Expand Energy from $110.00 to $107.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $123.11.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Expand Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in Expand Energy by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 5,377 shares of the company’s stock valued at $490,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Expand Energy by 1.2% in the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 10,361 shares of the company’s stock valued at $945,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the period. North Dakota State Investment Board raised its position in Expand Energy by 1.9% during the third quarter. North Dakota State Investment Board now owns 6,891 shares of the company’s stock worth $579,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Expand Energy by 8.8% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,906 shares of the company’s stock valued at $209,000 after buying an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cidel Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Expand Energy by 2.4% in the second quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 8,054 shares of the company’s stock worth $734,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. 97.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Expand Energy

Here are the key news stories impacting Expand Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 earnings and revenue exceeded expectations. Expand Energy reported adjusted earnings of $1.46 per share, up from $0.97 a year earlier and above consensus estimates of approximately $1.28–$1.29. Revenue reached $3.29 billion versus the $2.85 billion estimate, with coverage highlighting the contribution from the Twin Eagle deal. Expand Energy Q3 2026: Twin Eagle Deal Drives an 83% Revenue Beat
• Positive Sentiment: The company maintained its shareholder-return appeal. Expand Energy declared a quarterly dividend of $0.575 per share, payable December 3 to shareholders of record November 12. The dividend represents $2.30 annually and a yield of roughly 2.5%. Expand Energy Corporation Plans to Pay Quarterly Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data showed no reported shares short. The reported zero short interest implies no measurable short-selling pressure, although the figure may reflect a data or reporting anomaly rather than a meaningful change in investor positioning.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors showed increased demand for downside protection. Trading volume in EXE put options reached 11,605 contracts, 51% above the average of 7,692. This unusual activity may indicate near-term caution despite the earnings beat and could help explain why the stock has decreased.

Expand Energy Stock Down 2.0%

Expand Energy stock traded down $1.91 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $92.71. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,436,789 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,551,688. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $92.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $96.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.96. Expand Energy has a 52-week low of $83.25 and a 52-week high of $126.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.01 and a beta of 0.41.

Expand Energy (NASDAQ:EXE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $1.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.17. Expand Energy had a return on equity of 10.33% and a net margin of 20.46%. The business had revenue of $3.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.85 billion. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Expand Energy will post 8.59 EPS for the current year.

Expand Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, November 12th will be paid a $0.5750 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 12th. This represents a $2.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Expand Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.86%.

About Expand Energy

Expand Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:EXE) is an independent energy company focused on the exploration, development and production of natural gas, crude oil and natural gas liquids in the United States. The company’s activities include drilling and operating unconventional oil and gas wells, primarily in major shale formations.

Expand Energy was formed through the combination of Chesapeake Energy Corporation and Southwestern Energy Company, a transaction completed in October 2024. Chesapeake’s portfolio included assets in the Marcellus, Haynesville and Eagle Ford shale plays, while Southwestern was also a major operator in the Appalachian and Haynesville regions.