Boston Trust Walden Corp Cuts Stake in Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (NYSE:CPK)

Boston Trust Walden Corp lowered its stake in Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (NYSE:CPK - Free Report) by 1.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 291,835 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 3,515 shares during the quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp owned 1.27% of Chesapeake Utilities worth $37,480,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,934,574 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $234,761,000 after acquiring an additional 44,692 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 464,679 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $56,389,000 after acquiring an additional 13,742 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 10.3% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 317,752 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $38,559,000 after acquiring an additional 29,759 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 9.0% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 281,910 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $34,210,000 after acquiring an additional 23,160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 269,886 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $32,751,000 after acquiring an additional 10,822 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.11% of the company's stock.

Chesapeake Utilities Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of Chesapeake Utilities stock traded down $0.15 during trading on Friday, hitting $120.70. The company's stock had a trading volume of 489,237 shares, compared to its average volume of 108,926. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.46. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $125.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $124.89. The company has a market capitalization of $2.82 billion, a PE ratio of 22.31 and a beta of 0.66. Chesapeake Utilities Corporation has a 52 week low of $103.28 and a 52 week high of $136.73.

Chesapeake Utilities (NYSE:CPK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.28 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $298.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $248.45 million. Chesapeake Utilities had a return on equity of 9.19% and a net margin of 14.69%. The firm's revenue was up 21.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.10 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Chesapeake Utilities Corporation will post 5.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Chesapeake Utilities Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 7th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a $0.685 dividend. This represents a $2.74 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.27%. This is a positive change from Chesapeake Utilities's previous quarterly dividend of $0.64. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. Chesapeake Utilities's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.65%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on CPK shares. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Chesapeake Utilities to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Chesapeake Utilities from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Chesapeake Utilities from $125.00 to $124.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 29th.

Chesapeake Utilities Company Profile

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.