Industry Overview - Artificial intelligence (AI) is significantly transforming industries, leading to a projected growth in the Data Center Solutions Market from $448.95 billion in 2025 to $1,105.28 billion by 2030, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.7% driven by the demand for facilities to support AI workloads [1][2] Energy Demand and Challenges - The rapid expansion of data centers is putting pressure on U.S. electric grids, prompting policymakers to consider emergency measures to manage energy consumption during shortages [2] Company Spotlight: Expand Energy Corporation (EXE) - Expand Energy Corporation (EXE) is positioned to benefit from the increasing energy demand driven by AI, having scaled its natural gas production and returned $585 million to shareholders in the first half of 2025 [3][4] - EXE's dividend framework includes a forward annual dividend of $2.30, yielding 2.20%, with the most recent dividend of $1.465 paid on August 14 [4] - The current stock price of EXE is $101.09, with a year-to-date performance gain of 1.94% and a 52-week performance of 19.02% [4] Financial Metrics - EXE has an equity value of approximately $24.71 billion and an enterprise value of $29.997 billion, trading at a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 27.27x compared to the sector's 12.43x, indicating a premium for growth and cash conversion [5] - The latest quarterly report showed net cash provided by operating activities of $1,322 million, net income of $968 million ($4.02 per diluted share), and adjusted net income of $265 million ($1.10 per share), highlighting the company's strong cash-generative capabilities [6]
You’ve Likely Never Heard of This Natural Gas Stock, But It Could Be the Best Way to Play AI in 2026