Breakingviews - Mega-merger boom threatens a shareholder bloodbath
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Jan 17 2025
0mins
Source: Reuters
Concerns Over Mega-Mergers: The potential resurgence of large mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in 2025 raises concerns among shareholders, especially given the historical underperformance of mega-deals, where three-quarters of buyers lagged behind their sector benchmarks since 2020.
Changing Regulatory Landscape: With central banks lowering borrowing costs and a shift in antitrust enforcement under new leadership, major corporations may feel encouraged to pursue significant deals, despite the mixed results observed in past transactions across various industries.
Analyst Views on EXE
Wall Street analysts forecast EXE stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for EXE is 132.89 USD with a low forecast of 106.00 USD and a high forecast of 150.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
21 Analyst Rating
19 Buy
2 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 109.490
Low
106.00
Averages
132.89
High
150.00
Current: 109.490
Low
106.00
Averages
132.89
High
150.00
About EXE
Expand Energy Corporation is an independent natural gas producer in the United States. The Company is focused on developing a supply of natural gas, oil and natural gas liquids (LNG) to expand energy access for all. Its operations are located in Louisiana, in the Haynesville and Bossier Shales (Haynesville), in Pennsylvania in the Marcellus Shale (Northeast Appalachia) and in West Virginia and Ohio in the Marcellus and Utica Shales (Southwest Appalachia) and include interests in approximately 8,000 gross natural gas and oil wells. The Company's operations include drilling, completion, and production. It also operates drilling rigs and provides certain oilfield products and services, principally serving the Company’s E&P operations through vertical integration. Haynesville is rich in natural gas with proximity to LNG export infrastructure. The Company's operations in Ohio and West Virginia target the Marcellus and Utica shales and provide oil and natural gas liquids.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
