Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Grows Holdings in Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (NYSE:CPK)

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky grew its position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (NYSE:CPK - Free Report) by 168.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 18,715 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 11,756 shares during the quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky owned about 0.08% of Chesapeake Utilities worth $2,404,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Spire Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities during the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 587.1% during the 4th quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 213 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities during the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Chesapeake Utilities by 114.3% in the 1st quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 270 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Chesapeake Utilities by 50.7% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. 83.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Chesapeake Utilities Stock Up 0.5%

NYSE CPK traded up $0.57 on Thursday, hitting $121.43. The stock had a trading volume of 148,520 shares, compared to its average volume of 127,276. Chesapeake Utilities Corporation has a 52-week low of $111.00 and a 52-week high of $136.73. The business's fifty day moving average price is $121.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $124.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.46 and a quick ratio of 0.40. The stock has a market cap of $2.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.45 and a beta of 0.65.

Chesapeake Utilities (NYSE:CPK - Get Free Report) last posted its 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). Chesapeake Utilities had a return on equity of 9.19% and a net margin of 14.69%. The firm 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 company earned $2.10 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 21.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Chesapeake Utilities Corporation will post 5.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Chesapeake Utilities Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th were issued a $0.685 dividend. This represents a $2.74 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.26%. This is a boost from Chesapeake Utilities's previous quarterly dividend of $0.64. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. Chesapeake Utilities's dividend payout ratio is presently 50.65%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on CPK shares. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Chesapeake Utilities from $124.00 to $120.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen downgraded Chesapeake Utilities from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Chesapeake Utilities to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th.

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.