Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:CHK) Shares Up 0.5%

Chesapeake Energy Co. (NASDAQ:CHK - Get Free Report) shares rose 0.5% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $89.34 and last traded at $89.01. Approximately 196,807 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 90% from the average daily volume of 2,023,756 shares. The stock had previously closed at $88.53.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CHK has been the topic of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Chesapeake Energy from $118.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. TheStreet cut Chesapeake Energy from a "b-" rating to a "c+" rating in a research report on Friday, December 29th. Scotiabank raised their target price on Chesapeake Energy from $92.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Benchmark dropped their target price on Chesapeake Energy from $107.00 to $93.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, Mizuho restated a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of Chesapeake Energy in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Chesapeake Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $103.58.

Chesapeake Energy Trading Up 2.4 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 1.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The company has a market capitalization of $11.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.39 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a fifty day moving average of $85.37 and a 200-day moving average of $82.07.

Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:CHK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 20th. The company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.89. Chesapeake Energy had a return on equity of 6.74% and a net margin of 27.74%. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $962.95 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.22 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Chesapeake Energy Co. will post 2.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chesapeake Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 7th were paid a $0.575 dividend. This represents a $2.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.54%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 6th. Chesapeake Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.66%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CHK. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its stake in Chesapeake Energy by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 15,856 shares of the company's stock worth $1,377,000 after purchasing an additional 771 shares in the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $621,000. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of Chesapeake Energy by 11.1% during the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 2,399 shares of the company's stock valued at $207,000 after buying an additional 239 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its position in shares of Chesapeake Energy by 204.0% during the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 19,925 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,717,000 after buying an additional 13,370 shares during the period. Finally, DAVENPORT & Co LLC raised its position in shares of Chesapeake Energy by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 14,112 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,217,000 after buying an additional 602 shares during the period. 97.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Chesapeake Energy Company Profile

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.