Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK) Shares Purchased by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK - Free Report) by 2.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,934,574 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 44,692 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 8.49% of Chesapeake Utilities worth $234,761,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Chesapeake Utilities by 2,018.2% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 233 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities in the fourth quarter worth about $50,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 159.9% in the fourth 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 period. KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 46.2% in the fourth 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. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities during the 3rd quarter valued at about $182,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.11% of the company's stock.

Chesapeake Utilities Stock Down 1.1 %

CPK traded down $1.33 on Tuesday, reaching $124.95. The company's stock had a trading volume of 137,527 shares, compared to its average volume of 98,876. Chesapeake Utilities Co. has a 1 year low of $98.32 and a 1 year high of $134.86. The business's 50 day moving average is $125.67 and its 200 day moving average is $124.09. 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 stock has a market cap of $2.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.34 and a beta of 0.66.

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

Chesapeake Utilities Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 7th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.05%. Chesapeake Utilities's payout ratio is 48.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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