Natixis Advisors LLC Invests $1.22 Million in Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK)

Natixis Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 10,022 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,216,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in CPK. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in Chesapeake Utilities by 2,018.2% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 233 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position 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 buying an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 46.2% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,048 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $127,000 after buying an additional 331 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities in the 3rd quarter valued at $182,000. Finally, Spirit of America Management Corp NY raised its stake in Chesapeake Utilities by 66.7% during the 4th quarter. Spirit of America Management Corp NY now owns 2,500 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $303,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. 83.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Chesapeake Utilities Stock Performance

Shares of CPK stock 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. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.38 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.95 billion, a PE ratio of 26.01 and a beta of 0.60. The stock's 50 day moving average is $124.84 and its 200 day moving average is $123.76. Chesapeake Utilities Co. has a twelve month low of $98.32 and a twelve month high of $134.20.

Chesapeake Utilities (NYSE:CPK - Get Free Report) last released 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). Chesapeake Utilities had a net margin of 14.16% and a return on equity of 9.08%. The business had revenue of $215.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $237.84 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.64 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Chesapeake Utilities Co. will post 5.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chesapeake Utilities Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.