Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (NYSE:CPK) Stock Rated "Moderate Buy" by Wall Street Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is moderately positive: Six analysts rate Chesapeake Utilities “Moderate Buy,” with two buys, one strong buy, and three holds. The average 12-month price target is $144.50, above the reported share price of $126.50.
• Recent quarterly results were mixed: Chesapeake Utilities reported $1.05 in quarterly EPS, slightly below the $1.07 consensus estimate, while revenue of $201.9 million exceeded expectations and rose 4.7% year over year.
• The company maintains a quarterly dividend: The latest payment was $0.735 per share, equivalent to an annualized dividend of $2.94 and a 2.3% yield; institutional investors own approximately 83.1% of the stock.

Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (NYSE:CPK - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the six analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, two have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $144.50.

CPK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Huntington initiated coverage on Chesapeake Utilities in a research note on Monday, September 14th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. Mizuho set a $150.00 target price on shares of Chesapeake Utilities and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, September 11th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Chesapeake Utilities from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $136.00 price target on shares of Chesapeake Utilities and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Chesapeake Utilities from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Chesapeake Utilities

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities in the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 38.8% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 304 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. First Bancorp Inc ME purchased a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities during the second quarter worth about $37,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Chesapeake Utilities by 24.3% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 404 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new stake in Chesapeake Utilities during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.11% of the company's stock.

Chesapeake Utilities Price Performance

Shares of Chesapeake Utilities stock opened at $126.50 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $3.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.18 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.32. The stock's fifty day moving average is $132.25 and its 200 day moving average is $128.44. Chesapeake Utilities has a one year low of $118.88 and a one year high of $140.83.

Chesapeake Utilities (NYSE:CPK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.07 by ($0.02). Chesapeake Utilities had a net margin of 15.12% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The company had revenue of $201.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $198.91 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.04 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Chesapeake Utilities has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.750-8.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Chesapeake Utilities will post 6.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Chesapeake Utilities Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 5th. Investors of record on Monday, September 14th were issued a $0.7350 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 14th. This represents a $2.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Chesapeake Utilities's dividend payout ratio is currently 46.89%.

About Chesapeake Utilities

Chesapeake Utilities Corporation NYSE: CPK is a diversified energy delivery company headquartered in Dover, Delaware. Through its operating divisions and subsidiaries, the company provides natural gas distribution, transmission and storage, propane distribution, electric distribution, and other energy-related services to residential, commercial, industrial and institutional customers.

The company operates regulated natural gas utilities in Delaware, Maryland and Florida, as well as natural gas transmission and pipeline businesses serving portions of the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast.

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