SG Americas Securities LLC Takes Position in Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (NYSE:CPK)

SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (NYSE:CPK - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 3,984 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $512,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Chesapeake Utilities by 7.1% during the first quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 15,378 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,975,000 after acquiring an additional 1,021 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 50.7% during the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities during the 1st quarter worth about $206,000. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities during the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 13,619.7% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 148,722 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $19,100,000 after purchasing an additional 147,638 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.11% of the company's stock.

Chesapeake Utilities Stock Performance

Shares of CPK stock traded down $0.21 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $124.16. The company's stock had a trading volume of 215,667 shares, compared to its average volume of 108,641. The company has a current ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The company has a market cap of $2.90 billion, a PE ratio of 22.95 and a beta of 0.66. The business has a fifty day moving average of $125.30 and a 200-day moving average of $124.77. Chesapeake Utilities Corporation has a 52 week low of $103.74 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 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.28 by ($0.06). Chesapeake Utilities had a net margin of 14.69% and a return on equity of 9.19%. The business had revenue of $298.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $248.45 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.10 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 21.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Chesapeake Utilities Corporation will post 5.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Chesapeake Utilities Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be given a $0.685 dividend. This is an increase from Chesapeake Utilities's previous quarterly dividend of $0.64. This represents a $2.74 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. Chesapeake Utilities's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.65%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CPK has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Chesapeake Utilities from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Chesapeake Utilities from $125.00 to $124.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Chesapeake Utilities to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th.

Chesapeake Utilities 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.