Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK) Shares Bought by Snowden Capital Advisors LLC

Snowden Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK) by 9.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,618 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 299 shares during the period. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Chesapeake Utilities were worth $441,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CPK. Barclays PLC boosted its stake 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. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 54,336 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,594,000 after purchasing an additional 1,215 shares during the last quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 23.3% in the 4th quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,693 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $812,000 after purchasing an additional 1,264 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Caprock Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 3,313 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $404,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.11% of the company’s stock.

Chesapeake Utilities Price Performance

CPK stock opened at $122.52 on Thursday. 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 has a market capitalization of $2.86 billion, a PE ratio of 24.85 and a beta of 0.71. Chesapeake Utilities Co. has a 12-month low of $102.64 and a 12-month high of $136.73. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $128.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $125.99.

Chesapeake Utilities (NYSE:CPK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.28 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $298.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $248.45 million. Chesapeake Utilities had a net margin of 14.16% and a return on equity of 9.08%. Chesapeake Utilities’s quarterly revenue was up 21.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.10 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Chesapeake Utilities Co. will post 5.39 EPS for the current year.

Chesapeake Utilities Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 7th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a $0.685 dividend. This represents a $2.74 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This is an increase from Chesapeake Utilities’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.64. Chesapeake Utilities’s payout ratio is currently 50.65%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays decreased their price target on Chesapeake Utilities from $125.00 to $124.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. StockNews.com lowered Chesapeake Utilities from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Chesapeake Utilities to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th.

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.