Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Chesapeake Energy Co. (NASDAQ:CHK)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Chesapeake Energy Co. (NASDAQ:CHK) by 12.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,513 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 813 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Chesapeake Energy were worth $578,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Adirondack Trust Co. acquired a new stake in Chesapeake Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in Chesapeake Energy by 160.7% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 730 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in shares of Chesapeake Energy by 11.1% in the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 2,399 shares of the company’s stock worth $207,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Chesapeake Energy by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,803 shares of the company’s stock worth $242,000 after acquiring an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. 97.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Chesapeake Energy Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of CHK stock opened at $91.47 on Friday. Chesapeake Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $72.84 and a 1 year high of $91.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.96 billion, a PE ratio of 5.43 and a beta of 0.52. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $85.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $82.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.99 and a current ratio of 1.99.

Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:CHK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 20th. The company reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.89. Chesapeake Energy had a net margin of 27.74% and a return on equity of 6.74%. The business had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $962.95 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.22 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Chesapeake Energy Co. will post 1.76 EPS for the current year.

Chesapeake Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 7th were issued a dividend of $0.575 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 6th. This represents a $2.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.51%. Chesapeake Energy’s payout ratio is 13.66%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on CHK. KeyCorp began coverage on Chesapeake Energy in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. They set a “sector weight” rating on the stock. Citigroup raised shares of Chesapeake Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $82.00 to $95.00 in a report on Friday, January 12th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Chesapeake Energy from $92.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Chesapeake Energy from $92.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Mizuho reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of Chesapeake Energy in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $104.73.

Chesapeake Energy Company Profile

Chesapeake Energy Corporation operates as an independent exploration and production company in the United States. It engages in acquisition, exploration, and development of properties to produce oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids from underground reservoirs. The company holds interests in natural gas resource plays in the Marcellus Shale in the northern Appalachian Basin in Pennsylvania and the Haynesville/Bossier Shales in northwestern Louisiana.