Exchange Traded Concepts LLC Purchases 1,215 Shares of Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK)

Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its position in Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 54,336 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,215 shares during the quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC owned approximately 0.24% of Chesapeake Utilities worth $6,594,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Copeland Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 9.5% in the third quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 592,471 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $73,567,000 after purchasing an additional 51,164 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its position in Chesapeake Utilities by 342.4% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 37,048 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,600,000 after purchasing an additional 28,673 shares in the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp increased its stake in Chesapeake Utilities by 9.5% in the 3rd quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 300,552 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $37,320,000 after buying an additional 26,147 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Chesapeake Utilities by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 489,433 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $51,979,000 after buying an additional 19,100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Riverwater Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,826,000. Institutional investors own 83.11% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on CPK shares. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Chesapeake Utilities from $118.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Barclays boosted their price target on Chesapeake Utilities from $118.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Chesapeake Utilities from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Chesapeake Utilities presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $123.00.

Chesapeake Utilities Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CPK opened at $121.24 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. Chesapeake Utilities Co. has a 12-month low of $98.25 and a 12-month high of $134.20. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $124.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $120.92. The firm has a market cap of $2.76 billion, a PE ratio of 24.59 and a beta of 0.65.

Chesapeake Utilities (NYSE:CPK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.11. Chesapeake Utilities had a return on equity of 9.08% and a net margin of 14.16%. The firm had revenue of $160.14 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.80 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.69 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Chesapeake Utilities Co. will post 5.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Chesapeake Utilities Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a dividend of $0.64 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This represents a $2.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.11%. Chesapeake Utilities’s payout ratio is 51.93%.

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.