Vanguard Group Inc. Purchases 44,692 Shares of Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK)

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

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 2,018.2% during 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 during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities during the fourth quarter worth approximately $50,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 159.9% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 876 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $106,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 331 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities during the 3rd quarter valued at $182,000. Institutional investors own 83.11% of the company's stock.

Chesapeake Utilities Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of CPK stock traded up $0.87 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $127.64. The stock had a trading volume of 238,700 shares, compared to its average volume of 100,115. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.94 billion, a PE ratio of 25.89 and a beta of 0.66. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $126.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $124.19. The company has a current ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.32 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 released its quarterly 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 net margin of 14.16% and a return on equity of 9.08%. The business had revenue of $215.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $237.84 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.64 EPS. Equities 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a dividend of $0.64 per share. This represents a $2.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Chesapeake Utilities's payout ratio is 48.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CPK has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Chesapeake Utilities from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Chesapeake Utilities to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Chesapeake Utilities currently has a consensus 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.