Copeland Capital Management LLC Sells 26,455 Shares of Chesapeake Utilities Corporation $CPK

Key Points

• Copeland Capital trimmed its stake in Chesapeake Utilities by 5.2%, selling 26,455 shares and now holds 478,586 shares valued at about $59.7 million, representing roughly 2.02% of Chesapeake and ~1.3% of Copeland’s portfolio (its 22nd largest holding).
• Chesapeake reported quarterly EPS of $1.94, missing estimates by $0.22 while revenue rose 20.4% to $258.9 million and topped expectations; management set FY2028 guidance of $7.75–$8.00 EPS and analysts show a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” with an average target of $142.00.
• The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.685 ($2.74 annual, ~2.1% yield) with a payout ratio of about 45.8%, and roughly 83.11% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Copeland Capital Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (NYSE:CPK - Free Report) by 5.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 478,586 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 26,455 shares during the quarter. Chesapeake Utilities makes up approximately 1.3% of Copeland Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Copeland Capital Management LLC owned about 2.02% of Chesapeake Utilities worth $59,709,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in Chesapeake Utilities by 1,040.1% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 9,486 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,183,000 after buying an additional 8,654 shares during the period. Phocas Financial Corp. purchased a new position in Chesapeake Utilities during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,314,000. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC increased its holdings in Chesapeake Utilities by 1,395.0% during the third quarter. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC now owns 131,022 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $17,647,000 after buying an additional 122,258 shares during the period. Tributary Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Chesapeake Utilities by 92.5% during the third quarter. Tributary Capital Management LLC now owns 270,642 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $36,453,000 after buying an additional 130,071 shares during the period. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in Chesapeake Utilities during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,471,000. 83.11% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Chesapeake Utilities in a report on Friday, March 27th. Barclays set a $142.00 price objective on shares of Chesapeake Utilities and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Chesapeake Utilities from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $142.00.

Chesapeake Utilities Stock Performance

Shares of CPK stock opened at $127.98 on Friday. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $130.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $130.07. The company has a market cap of $3.07 billion, a PE ratio of 21.40 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. Chesapeake Utilities Corporation has a 12-month low of $115.24 and a 12-month high of $140.59.

Chesapeake Utilities (NYSE:CPK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The utilities provider reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.16 by ($0.22). The business had revenue of $258.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $208.59 million. Chesapeake Utilities had a return on equity of 9.31% and a net margin of 15.09%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 20.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.63 earnings per share. Chesapeake Utilities has set its FY 2028 guidance at 7.750-8.000 EPS. Analysts expect that Chesapeake Utilities Corporation will post 6.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chesapeake Utilities Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th were given a dividend of $0.685 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $2.74 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Chesapeake Utilities's dividend payout ratio is presently 45.82%.

About Chesapeake Utilities

Chesapeake Utilities Corporation NYSE: CPK is a diversified energy services holding company headquartered in Dover, Delaware. Through its operating subsidiaries, the company engages in natural gas distribution, transmission and storage; propane distribution; wholesale propane supply; and contract compression and natural gas liquids processing. Its core mission is to provide safe, reliable and cost-effective energy solutions to residential, commercial and industrial customers across multiple U.S.

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