EXE vs HES Stock Comparison

Compare EXE and HES across AIQ Score, fundamentals, valuation, momentum, risk, analyst expectations and current market evidence.

Market data as of Sep 11, 2026 market close· AIQ score gap 6 points
EXE
Energy
vs
HES
Energy
EXE
Expand Energy Corporation
Leads
Price
$94.83
Day move
-2.11%
AIQ Score
60/100
Best edge
Value
Sector
Energy
HES
Hess Corporation
Price
$149
Day move
-
AIQ Score
54/100
Best edge
Quality
Sector
Energy

What is the main difference between EXE and HES?

EXE leads the current stock comparison as Expand Energy Corporation, with the clearest separation coming from value and the broader AIQ evidence mix.

AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison

Expand Energy Corporation vs Hess Corporation

Data as of Sep 11, 2026· market close· Energy· Coverage 53/66 fields· Moderate confidence
AIQ VerdictCompetitiveAIQ Comparison Conviction 5/10

EXE leads

EXE leads by 6 AIQ points, primarily on Value, but the lead has narrowed from 16 points over 30 sessions.

Competitive: 3 of 5 evidence groups support EXE, and its lead is narrowing.

Evidence agreement: 3 of 5Comparison trend: Weakening
EXE

Expand Energy Corporation

Leads
AIQ Score
60/100
AIQ Edge Score
9/10
HES

Hess Corporation

AIQ Score
54/100
AIQ Edge Score
7/10

The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors EXE over HES, 60 versus 54 as of Sep 11, 2026. EXE's advantage is driven primarily by stronger value, while HES holds the stronger quality profile. 3 of 5 covered evidence groups favor EXE today, and the comparison is rated Competitive on stability: the leader's advantage has been narrowing. EXE lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 16 to 6 points over 30 sessions.

Compare Expand Energy Corporation and Hess Corporation across the Algovestiq AIQ Score, valuation, quality, momentum, risk, technicals and analyst expectations.

Currently unavailable

Performance over time

Price-return comparison using available daily close history.

EXE
+16.4%
HES
+9.2%

Total return comparison

Growth of $10,000

EXE $11,637 · HES $10,918

Based on available close-price history. Distribution reinvestment is not added unless already reflected in the source series.

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AIQ Factor Divergence

Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.

EXE advantage
0
HES advantage
  • Value56 vs 32
    EXE +24
  • Quality70 vs 75
    HES +5
  • Risk Resilience54 vs 57
    Even

3 of 5 evidence groups favor EXE. EXE’s edge is concentrated in value; HES keeps a meaningful quality edge.

What changed since the last close

Latest scored session 2026-09-10, compared against the prior scored session 2026-09-09.

EXE0 AIQ

No factor moved materially.

No new signals fired.

HES0 AIQ

No factor moved materially.

No new signals fired.

EXE's lead was unchanged in the latest snapshot.

Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — EXE and HES both carry a full feed there.

The central trade-off

EXE (Expand Energy Corporation): the stronger current systematic profile, led by value.

HES (Hess Corporation): the counter-case, on quality, fundamentals.

Which one fits your objective

The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.

Balanced

EXE

EXE on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value most heavily.

Growth

HES

HES on combined revenue and EPS growth.

Value

EXE

EXE on the peer-relative Value factor, by 24 points.

Momentum

Even

The two are level on Momentum.

Lower downside

Even

Downside measures are level or not covered.

Analyst upside

EXE

EXE on implied upside to the consensus price target.

AIQ vs Wall Street

Where the systematic read and the analyst consensus line up — and where they do not.

MeasureEXEHESNote
Implied upside to target+28.3%+4%EXE has more room
Target dispersion+39.5%0%Lower is tighter analyst agreement
ConsensusBuyBuyContext, not a primary driver
Analysts covering81Higher coverage generally improves confidence

Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions. Dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.

AIQ Agreement Matrix

3 of 5 covered evidence groups favor EXE. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.

Evidence groupFavorsReading
AIQ ScoreEXE60 vs 54
FundamentalsHESrevenue growth -32.7% vs 26.1%; EPS growth -54.7% vs 2.8%; TTM ROE 14.7% vs 27.4%; gross margin 63.1% vs 78.9%; operating margin 26% vs 37%
ValuationEXEValue 56 vs 32
TechnicalsNot coveredNot covered
Risk ResilienceEvenRisk Resilience 54 vs 57
Analyst expectationsEXETarget upside 28.3% vs 4%

✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of EXE and HES and are excluded from the count.

AIQ Decision Stability

Competitive

The two are close enough that your objective, not the score, should decide.

  • The AIQ gap is moderate at 6 points.
  • The leader's advantage has been narrowing. (argues the conclusion is provisional)

Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on EXE.

How the comparison changed

119 daily snapshots · May 4 Sep 10

EXE lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 16 to 6 points over 30 sessions.

May 4EXE leads above the line · HES leads belowSep 10
Today
EXE +6
60 vs 54
7 sessions ago
EXE +9
63 vs 54
30 sessions ago
EXE +16
61 vs 45
90 sessions ago
EXE +13
58 vs 45

The lead has not changed hands in this window.

AIQ Signal Divergence

Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.

EXE

0 bullish / 2 bearish / 1 neutral

  • Death Cross Active bearish, trend, long horizon (8.00%)
  • Bollinger Band Squeeze neutral, volatility, short horizon
  • MACD Bearish Crossover bearish, momentum, short horizon
HES

No active signals

Price vs model alignment

Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.

EXENo material change

Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price -2.11%, AIQ 0 points).

What would flip this result

A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.

  1. 1HES closes the Value gap — currently 24 points behind, the largest single contributor to EXE's edge.
  2. 2HES generates a confirmed bullish trend signal it does not currently carry, such as Golden Cross Active or MACD Bullish Crossover.
  3. 3EXE starts generating bearish momentum or trend signals.
  4. 4The narrowing continues — the lead has already given back 10 points over 30 sessions, and a further 6-point move would eliminate EXE's advantage entirely.

The full evidence

Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.

Fundamentals

HES leads on balance
MetricEXEHES
Revenue growth (YoY)-32.7%26.1%
EPS growth (YoY)-54.7%2.8%
Gross margin63.1%78.9%
Operating margin26%37%
Return on equity (TTM)14.7%27.4%
Debt to equity0.190.84

Performance

Split across windows
MetricEXEHES
1 week (5 sessions)-2.5%
1 month (20 sessions)0.6%
3 months (63 sessions)9.4%
6 months (126 sessions)-10.8%
Year to date-12.2%
1 year (252 sessions)2.5%

Technicals

Split
MetricEXEHES
RSI (14)53.5
ADX (14)13.5
Price vs 50-day1.6%
Price vs 200-day-3.9%
Volatility (1M, annualized)18.7%

Risk

Split
MetricEXEHES
Beta-0.01
Sharpe ratio0.1
Sortino ratio0.17
Max drawdown-29.3%
Current drawdown-21.2%
Annualized volatility30.9%
Value at risk (95%)-2.9%

Straight answers

Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.

Which is better, EXE or HES?

On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, EXE is the stronger of the two as of Sep 11, 2026, scoring 60 against HES's 54. The edge comes from value. HES is not without a case — it holds the better quality profile, which matters more if that is the objective you are optimizing for. This is a systematic score, not a recommendation: it ranks the two on the same evidence, it does not know your holding period or tax position.

Is EXE or HES the better buy right now?

EXE carries the stronger systematic profile as of Sep 11, 2026, and the comparison is rated Competitive — 3 of 5 covered evidence groups agree. A Competitive rating means the two are close enough that your objective, not the score, should decide.

Why does the AIQ Score favor EXE over HES?

The composite weights Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk Resilience. EXE leads Value by 24 points; HES leads Quality by 5 points. Where the two split, the factor with the larger weight carries the result.

Which has more analyst upside, EXE or HES?

Analyst price targets imply +28.3% upside for EXE and +4% for HES, so the Street currently favors EXE. The model and the Street agree here, which is a broader base of evidence than either alone. Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions, and dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.

Which is better value, EXE or HES?

EXE is the better-valued of the two on the peer-relative Value factor. EXE on the peer-relative Value factor, by 24 points. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.

Which has stronger growth, EXE or HES?

HES on combined revenue and EPS growth. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.

Which has stronger momentum, EXE or HES?

The two are level on Momentum. Momentum is one of the four weighted factors in the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.

Which is riskier, EXE or HES?

The two are close on downside measures. Downside measures are level or not covered. Risk Resilience is a weighted factor in the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.

Is EXE more profitable than HES?

HES leads on the comparable margin measures — gross margin 63.1% vs 78.9%; operating margin 26% vs 37%; ttm roe 14.7% vs 27.4%.

Is EXE's lead over HES getting stronger or weaker?

EXE lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 16 to 6 points over 30 sessions. This is measured from 119 daily comparison snapshots between 2026-05-04 and 2026-09-10. The lead has not changed hands in that window.

What would change the EXE vs HES verdict?

The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: HES closes the Value gap — currently 24 points behind, the largest single contributor to EXE's edge; HES generates a confirmed bullish trend signal it does not currently carry, such as Golden Cross Active or MACD Bullish Crossover; EXE starts generating bearish momentum or trend signals; the narrowing continues — the lead has already given back 10 points over 30 sessions, and a further 6-point move would eliminate EXE's advantage entirely.

What do the current signals say about EXE and HES?

EXE: 0 bullish / 2 bearish / 1 neutral. HES: No active signals. The most decision-relevant rule on EXE is Death Cross Active (bearish, long horizon).

Compare EXE and HES with others

Continue your research

This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.

How this comparison is scored

The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.

The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.

How to use side-by-side comparison →

This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.