Cibc World Markets Corp Takes $251,000 Position in Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK)

Cibc World Markets Corp acquired a new stake in Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 2,068 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $251,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Natixis Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,216,000. Swiss National Bank lifted its stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 44,150 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $5,358,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the period. Inspire Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 139.3% in the 4th quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 4,099 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $497,000 after purchasing an additional 2,386 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities during the 4th quarter valued at about $5,110,000. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System grew its stake in Chesapeake Utilities by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 6,516 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $791,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 83.11% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Chesapeake Utilities from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th.

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Chesapeake Utilities Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of CPK traded up $2.61 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $128.23. The stock had a trading volume of 96,482 shares, compared to its average volume of 96,165. Chesapeake Utilities Co. has a 1-year low of $98.32 and a 1-year high of $134.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.01 and a beta of 0.60. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $124.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $123.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.38 and a quick ratio of 0.32.

Chesapeake Utilities (NYSE:CPK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.67 by ($0.04). Chesapeake Utilities had a net margin of 14.16% and a return on equity of 9.08%. The firm had revenue of $215.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $237.84 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.64 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Chesapeake Utilities Co. will post 5.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chesapeake Utilities Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.64 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.00%. Chesapeake Utilities's payout ratio is 48.58%.

About Chesapeake Utilities

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.