Short Interest in Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK) Rises By 16.0%

Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 384,400 shares, an increase of 16.0% from the November 30th total of 331,500 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 91,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.2 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Chesapeake Utilities

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Chesapeake Utilities by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 287,993 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $35,760,000 after purchasing an additional 14,430 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities in the 3rd quarter worth about $182,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its position in Chesapeake Utilities by 5.7% during the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 23,473 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,915,000 after buying an additional 1,270 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Chesapeake Utilities by 1.6% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 516,586 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $64,157,000 after buying an additional 8,358 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its holdings in Chesapeake Utilities by 342.4% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 37,048 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,600,000 after buying an additional 28,673 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.11% of the company's stock.

Chesapeake Utilities Stock Down 0.2 %

NYSE CPK traded down $0.26 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $120.57. The company's stock had a trading volume of 47,166 shares, compared to its average volume of 111,642. The company has a current ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $125.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $119.06. Chesapeake Utilities has a twelve month low of $98.25 and a twelve month high of $134.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.46 and a beta of 0.64.

Chesapeake Utilities Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a $0.64 dividend. This represents a $2.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. Chesapeake Utilities's payout ratio is 51.93%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on CPK shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Chesapeake Utilities from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Chesapeake Utilities from $118.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of Chesapeake Utilities from $118.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $123.00.

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.