Advisory Research Inc. Boosts Holdings in Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK)

Advisory Research Inc. raised its stake in Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK) by 1.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,163 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 217 shares during the quarter. Advisory Research Inc.’s holdings in Chesapeake Utilities were worth $1,476,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 587.1% in the 4th quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 213 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in Chesapeake Utilities by 2,018.2% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 233 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities in the fourth quarter valued at $50,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 805.2% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 697 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 620 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 159.9% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 876 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $106,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares during the period. 83.11% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CPK has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com upgraded Chesapeake Utilities from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Chesapeake Utilities to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $122.67.

Chesapeake Utilities Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of CPK opened at $133.53 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $126.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $124.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. Chesapeake Utilities Co. has a twelve month low of $100.33 and a twelve month high of $136.18. The stock has a market cap of $3.07 billion, a PE ratio of 27.09 and a beta of 0.66.

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

Chesapeake Utilities Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.92%. Chesapeake Utilities’s payout ratio is currently 48.58%.

Chesapeake Utilities Company 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.