Mutual of America Capital Management LLC Purchases 16,911 Shares of Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK)

Mutual of America Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK - Free Report) by 47.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 52,730 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 16,911 shares during the period. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.30% of Chesapeake Utilities worth $5,570,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of CPK. Spirit of America Management Corp NY grew its holdings in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 60.0% during the fourth quarter. Spirit of America Management Corp NY now owns 400 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Middle East FZE purchased a new position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities during the fourth quarter valued at $48,000. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities during the third quarter valued at $52,000. Larson Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities during the third quarter valued at $59,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in Chesapeake Utilities by 59.8% in the third quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 799 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $78,000 after purchasing an additional 299 shares in the last quarter. 83.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Chesapeake Utilities Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of CPK traded up $1.34 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $102.06. 114,473 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 116,405. The company has a market cap of $2.27 billion, a PE ratio of 21.58 and a beta of 0.60. The firm's 50 day moving average is $103.53 and its 200-day moving average is $99.70. Chesapeake Utilities Co. has a 52 week low of $83.79 and a 52 week high of $132.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.48.

Chesapeake Utilities (NYSE:CPK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 21st. The utilities provider reported $1.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.11. Chesapeake Utilities had a return on equity of 10.19% and a net margin of 13.01%. The business had revenue of $185.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $234.60 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.47 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Chesapeake Utilities Co. will post 5.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chesapeake Utilities Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 5th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. Chesapeake Utilities's dividend payout ratio is presently 49.89%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CPK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com downgraded Chesapeake Utilities from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Chesapeake Utilities from $123.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Chesapeake Utilities from $101.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $107.00.

Chesapeake Utilities Profile

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.