Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK - Free Report) by 318.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,692 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 8,896 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned approximately 0.05% of Chesapeake Utilities worth $1,413,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in CPK. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 11,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,335,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 5,350 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $649,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 6,516 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $791,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Chesapeake Utilities by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,313 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $281,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caprock Group LLC boosted its holdings in Chesapeake Utilities by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 3,313 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $404,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. 83.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
CPK has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays cut their price objective on Chesapeake Utilities from $125.00 to $124.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Chesapeake Utilities from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Chesapeake Utilities to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Chesapeake Utilities currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $122.67.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on CPK
Chesapeake Utilities Price Performance
Shares of NYSE:CPK traded up $0.88 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $134.21. 39,294 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 103,660. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.38 and a quick ratio of 0.32. Chesapeake Utilities Co. has a 52-week low of $102.64 and a 52-week high of $136.73. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $129.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $125.74. The company has a market cap of $3.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.21 and a beta of 0.71.
Chesapeake Utilities (NYSE:CPK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.67 by ($0.04). Chesapeake Utilities had a return on equity of 9.08% and a net margin of 14.16%. The company had revenue of $215.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $237.84 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.64 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Chesapeake Utilities Co. will post 5.39 EPS for the current year.
Chesapeake Utilities Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 7th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.64 dividend. This represents a $2.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.91%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Chesapeake Utilities's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.58%.
Chesapeake Utilities Company Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
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