CHK Tops Estimates: 26 Cents vs 14 Cents -- Isn't That Almost Double What "They" Were Expecting?

Reuters is reporting:

Chesapeake Energy Corp reported a quarterly profit that topped Wall Street views on Thursday, helped in part by lower-than-expected expenses.

Shares of Chesapeake rose 2.5 percent before the start of regular trading.

The earnings report came a day after Chesapeake said an internal investigation of the financial dealings of its outgoing chief executive, Aubrey McClendon, found no "intentional" wrongdoing.

The Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, company posted a profit of $257 million, or 39 cents per share, in the fourth quarter, compared with $429 million, or 63 cents per share, in the same period a year earlier.

Excluding items, Chesapeake had a profit of 26 cents per share. Analysts, on average, had expected 14 cents, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.