Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK) Shares Acquired by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK - Free Report) by 10.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 317,752 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 29,759 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned 1.39% of Chesapeake Utilities worth $38,559,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in CPK. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Chesapeake Utilities by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,934,574 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $234,761,000 after buying an additional 44,692 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 11.2% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 13,717 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,665,000 after acquiring an additional 1,382 shares in the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in Chesapeake Utilities in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,036,000. Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in Chesapeake Utilities by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 51,032 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $6,193,000 after purchasing an additional 436 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Chesapeake Utilities by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 37,850 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,593,000 after purchasing an additional 1,395 shares during the last quarter. 83.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Chesapeake Utilities Stock Performance

NYSE:CPK traded up $3.73 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $131.23. 276,016 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 100,934. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.62 and a beta of 0.66. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $126.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $124.25. 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 52 week low of $98.32 and a 52 week high of $134.86.

Chesapeake Utilities (NYSE:CPK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 earned $1.64 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Chesapeake Utilities Co. will post 5.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chesapeake Utilities Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.64 dividend. This represents a $2.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. Chesapeake Utilities's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price 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.