AGP Franklin LLC Makes New Investment in Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK)

AGP Franklin LLC acquired a new position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 3,988 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $484,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 11,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,335,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its stake in Chesapeake Utilities by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 5,350 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $649,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 6,516 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $791,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,313 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $281,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. Finally, Caprock Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 3,313 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $404,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.11% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Chesapeake Utilities Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:CPK traded up $1.68 during trading on Friday, reaching $135.17. 171,797 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 102,018. Chesapeake Utilities Co. has a 52-week low of $102.15 and a 52-week high of $136.52. The stock has a market cap of $3.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.42 and a beta of 0.66. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $127.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $124.63. 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 - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 return on equity of 9.08% and a net margin of 14.16%. The business had revenue of $215.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $237.84 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.64 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Chesapeake Utilities Co. will post 5.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chesapeake Utilities Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 7th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.64 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.89%. Chesapeake Utilities's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.58%.

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.