Advisory Research Inc. Purchases 217 Shares of Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK)

Advisory Research Inc. boosted its position in Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,163 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 217 shares during the period. Advisory Research Inc. owned approximately 0.05% of Chesapeake Utilities worth $1,476,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its stake in Chesapeake Utilities by 587.1% in the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 213 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Chesapeake Utilities by 2,018.2% in the fourth 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 bought a new position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities during the 4th quarter worth about $50,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its position in Chesapeake Utilities by 805.2% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 697 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 620 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake 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 buying an additional 539 shares during the period. 83.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Chesapeake Utilities Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of Chesapeake Utilities stock opened at $133.53 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.09 and a beta of 0.66. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $126.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $124.48. Chesapeake Utilities Co. has a 12-month low of $100.33 and a 12-month high of $136.18. 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 (NYSE:CPK) last announced 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). Chesapeake Utilities had a net margin of 14.16% and a return on equity of 9.08%. The firm had revenue of $215.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $237.84 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.64 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Chesapeake Utilities Co. will post 5.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chesapeake Utilities Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.92%. Chesapeake Utilities’s payout ratio is presently 48.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Chesapeake Utilities to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. StockNews.com raised shares of Chesapeake Utilities from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $122.67.

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.