Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. Has $6.53 Million Position in Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK)

Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. decreased its position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK - Free Report) by 69.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 53,775 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 120,684 shares during the quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. owned about 0.24% of Chesapeake Utilities worth $6,526,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its holdings in Chesapeake Utilities by 587.1% in the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 213 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in Chesapeake Utilities in the fourth quarter worth about $50,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Chesapeake Utilities by 805.2% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 697 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 620 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Chesapeake Utilities by 159.9% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 876 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $106,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in Chesapeake Utilities by 46.2% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,048 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $127,000 after acquiring an additional 331 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.11% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CPK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Chesapeake Utilities from $125.00 to $124.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Chesapeake Utilities from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Chesapeake Utilities to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd.

Chesapeake Utilities Stock Down 2.9%

Shares of CPK stock traded down $3.71 on Monday, reaching $123.12. 115,593 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 104,404. The business's 50 day moving average price is $129.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $125.98. The company has a market capitalization of $2.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.97 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.38. Chesapeake Utilities Co. has a 12-month low of $102.64 and a 12-month high of $136.73.

Chesapeake Utilities (NYSE:CPK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.28 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $298.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $248.45 million. Chesapeake Utilities had a net margin of 14.16% and a return on equity of 9.08%. Chesapeake Utilities's revenue for the quarter was up 21.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.10 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Chesapeake Utilities Co. will post 5.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Chesapeake Utilities Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a $0.685 dividend. This is an increase from Chesapeake Utilities's previous quarterly dividend of $0.64. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $2.74 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.23%. Chesapeake Utilities's dividend payout ratio is currently 47.32%.

About Chesapeake Utilities

Chesapeake Utilities Corporation operates as an energy delivery company. The company operates through two segments, Regulated Energy and Unregulated Energy. The Regulated Energy segment natural gas distribution operations in central and southern Delaware, Maryland's eastern shore, and Florida; regulated natural gas transmission in the Delmarva Peninsula, Ohio, and Florida; and regulated electric distribution in northeast and northwest Florida.