Trexquant Investment LP Purchases New Shares in Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK)

Trexquant Investment LP acquired a new position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 10,433 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,266,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in Chesapeake Utilities by 2,018.2% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 233 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in Chesapeake Utilities by 159.9% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 876 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $106,000 after buying an additional 539 shares during the period. KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 46.2% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,048 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $127,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities during the third quarter valued at approximately $182,000. 83.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Chesapeake Utilities Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CPK opened at $126.81 on Thursday. Chesapeake Utilities Co. has a 52 week low of $98.32 and a 52 week high of $134.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.92 billion, a PE ratio of 25.72 and a beta of 0.66. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $125.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $124.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.38.

Chesapeake Utilities (NYSE:CPK) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by ($0.04). Chesapeake Utilities had a return on equity of 9.08% and a net margin of 14.16%. The firm had revenue of $215.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $237.84 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.64 EPS. Analysts predict that Chesapeake Utilities Co. will post 5.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chesapeake Utilities Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 7th. Shareholders 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 2.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. Chesapeake Utilities’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Chesapeake Utilities to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded Chesapeake Utilities from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $122.67.

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.