Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $5.53 Million Stake in Chesapeake Energy Co. (NASDAQ:CHK)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Chesapeake Energy Co. (NASDAQ:CHK - Free Report) by 16.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 71,812 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 10,133 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.05% of Chesapeake Energy worth $5,526,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CHK. Deutsche Bank AG increased its position in Chesapeake Energy by 14.7% during the 3rd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 261,978 shares of the company's stock valued at $22,590,000 after buying an additional 33,660 shares in the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Chesapeake Energy by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 13,104 shares of the company's stock worth $1,130,000 after acquiring an additional 816 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Chesapeake Energy during the third quarter worth $4,510,000. Cottage Street Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,693,000. Finally, Texas Permanent School Fund Corp purchased a new position in Chesapeake Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $8,238,000. 97.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Chesapeake Energy Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:CHK traded down $1.18 during trading on Friday, reaching $87.12. The stock had a trading volume of 1,259,204 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,037,676. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 2.33 and a current ratio of 2.33. Chesapeake Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $72.84 and a 52 week high of $93.58. The firm's fifty day moving average is $87.16 and its 200 day moving average is $82.14. The stock has a market cap of $11.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.90 and a beta of 0.51.

Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:CHK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by ($0.08). Chesapeake Energy had a net margin of 16.42% and a return on equity of 4.87%. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $674.99 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.87 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Chesapeake Energy Co. will post 1.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chesapeake Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.715 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 15th. This is an increase from Chesapeake Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. This represents a $2.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.28%. Chesapeake Energy's dividend payout ratio is 31.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group increased their price objective on Chesapeake Energy from $92.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. KeyCorp began coverage on Chesapeake Energy in a report on Thursday, April 4th. They set a "sector weight" rating on the stock. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Chesapeake Energy from $100.00 to $101.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Benchmark dropped their target price on shares of Chesapeake Energy from $107.00 to $93.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price objective on Chesapeake Energy from $92.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Chesapeake Energy has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $105.83.

Chesapeake Energy 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.