KeyCorp Analysts Boost Earnings Estimates for Expand Energy

Expand Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:EXE) – Stock analysts at KeyCorp raised their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Expand Energy in a report issued on Wednesday, April 1st. KeyCorp analyst T. Rezvan now anticipates that the company will post earnings of $4.14 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $2.24. KeyCorp currently has a “Sector Weight” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Expand Energy’s current full-year earnings is $1.33 per share. KeyCorp also issued estimates for Expand Energy’s Q4 2026 earnings at $2.98 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $10.51 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $2.82 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.10 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.14 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.97 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $10.02 EPS.

EXE has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Expand Energy from $136.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Expand Energy from $136.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. TD Cowen raised Expand Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. UBS Group cut their price objective on Expand Energy from $150.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Benchmark boosted their price objective on Expand Energy from $112.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $131.48.

Expand Energy Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:EXE traded down $0.76 on Tuesday, reaching $102.79. The company had a trading volume of 1,255,541 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,946,684. Expand Energy has a twelve month low of $91.01 and a twelve month high of $126.62. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $106.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $108.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.63 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Expand Energy (NASDAQ:EXE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The company reported $2.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.11. Expand Energy had a return on equity of 8.17% and a net margin of 15.00%.The company had revenue of $3.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.28 billion.

Expand Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 5th were given a dividend of $0.575 per share. This represents a $2.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 5th. Expand Energy’s payout ratio is currently 30.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Expand Energy

In other news, CEO Michael Wichterich purchased 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $107.50 per share, with a total value of $215,000.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 83,498 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,976,035. The trade was a 2.45% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Expand Energy

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EXE. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. acquired a new position in Expand Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $2,599,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Expand Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $208,000. Focus Partners Wealth acquired a new position in Expand Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $205,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Expand Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $79,000. Finally, M&T Bank Corp raised its holdings in Expand Energy by 23.0% in the 2nd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 8,516 shares of the company’s stock valued at $996,000 after acquiring an additional 1,593 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.93% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Expand Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp raised its FY2026 EPS estimate materially (to $10.51), reflecting stronger near‑term outlook for 2026 that could support earnings in the coming quarters.
• Positive Sentiment: Citi reaffirmed its Buy rating on Expand Energy, a bullish signal from a major bank that can attract some investor interest. Citi Reaffirms Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate development — Expand appointed Marcel Teunissen as Chief Financial Officer effective April 6. New CFOs can be positive long term, but the immediate market impact is typically muted until execution is demonstrated. CFO Appointment
• Negative Sentiment: KeyCorp cut multiple 2027 quarterly EPS forecasts (Q1–Q4 2027 and individual quarter downgrades) and trimmed FY2027 to $10.02 (from $11.02), signaling weaker expected 2027 profitability and reducing forward guidance visibility; KeyCorp still carries a “Sector Weight” rating.
• Negative Sentiment: Unusual options activity: investors bought ~10,834 put options (about +69% vs. average daily put volume), indicating increased hedging or bearish positioning that can amplify downward pressure on the share price.

About Expand 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.