Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:CHK) Now Covered by KeyCorp

Stock analysts at KeyCorp began coverage on shares of Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:CHK - Get Free Report) in a research note issued on Thursday, MarketBeat reports. The firm set a "sector weight" rating on the stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Chesapeake Energy from $104.00 to $100.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. TheStreet cut Chesapeake Energy from a "b-" rating to a "c+" rating in a report on Friday, December 29th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Chesapeake Energy from $86.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 18th. Citigroup raised Chesapeake Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $82.00 to $95.00 in a report on Friday, January 12th. Finally, Johnson Rice cut Chesapeake Energy from a "buy" rating to an "accumulate" rating in a report on Thursday, December 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $101.56.

Chesapeake Energy Stock Performance

CHK stock traded down $0.98 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $89.32. 1,233,391 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,170,423. Chesapeake Energy has a twelve month low of $72.84 and a twelve month high of $91.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 1.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $82.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $81.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.30 and a beta of 0.52.

Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:CHK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.89. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $962.95 million. Chesapeake Energy had a return on equity of 6.74% and a net margin of 27.74%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $4.22 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Chesapeake Energy will post 3.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Chesapeake Energy

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Belpointe Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Chesapeake Energy by 478.3% during the 1st quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 347 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 287 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Chesapeake Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its position in shares of Chesapeake Energy by 132.1% in the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 362 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the period. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Chesapeake Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Chesapeake Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 97.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Chesapeake Energy

Chesapeake Energy Corporation operates as an independent exploration and production company in the United States. It engages in acquisition, exploration, and development of properties to produce oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids from underground reservoirs. The company holds interests in natural gas resource plays in the Marcellus Shale in the northern Appalachian Basin in Pennsylvania and the Haynesville/Bossier Shales in northwestern Louisiana.