Schroder Investment Management Group Decreases Stock Position in Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK)

Schroder Investment Management Group decreased its position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK) by 14.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 147,157 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 24,795 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group owned about 0.65% of Chesapeake Utilities worth $17,743,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 2,018.2% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 233 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in Chesapeake Utilities during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its position 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 purchased a new position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $182,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.11% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Chesapeake Utilities from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th.

Chesapeake Utilities Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CPK opened at $129.85 on Thursday. Chesapeake Utilities Co. has a 1 year low of $98.32 and a 1 year high of $134.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.38. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $125.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $123.94. The firm has a market cap of $2.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.34 and a beta of 0.60.

Chesapeake Utilities (NYSE:CPK) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by ($0.04). Chesapeake Utilities had a return on equity of 9.08% and a net margin of 14.16%. The firm had revenue of $215.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $237.84 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.64 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Chesapeake Utilities Co. will post 5.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chesapeake Utilities Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.64 per share. This represents a $2.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.97%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Chesapeake Utilities’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.58%.

About Chesapeake Utilities

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.