Chesapeake Energy Co. (NASDAQ:CHK) Stock Position Decreased by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. cut its stake in shares of Chesapeake Energy Co. (NASDAQ:CHK) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,673,082 shares of the company’s stock after selling 179,879 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 9.69% of Chesapeake Energy worth $975,067,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of CHK. Scout Investments Inc. purchased a new position in Chesapeake Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,079,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Chesapeake Energy by 190.8% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 620,462 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,502,000 after buying an additional 407,082 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of Chesapeake Energy by 57.9% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 870,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,039,000 after buying an additional 319,021 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Chesapeake Energy by 15.7% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,958,837 shares of the company’s stock valued at $150,723,000 after buying an additional 265,853 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in Chesapeake Energy by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,317,920 shares of the company’s stock worth $332,221,000 after acquiring an additional 213,235 shares in the last quarter. 97.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CHK has been the topic of a number of research reports. Benchmark dropped their target price on Chesapeake Energy from $107.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. KeyCorp started coverage on shares of Chesapeake Energy in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. They issued a “sector weight” rating for the company. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Chesapeake Energy from $101.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 13th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Chesapeake Energy from $118.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Stephens lifted their price objective on Chesapeake Energy from $116.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Chesapeake Energy has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $106.67.

Chesapeake Energy Trading Down 1.8 %

NASDAQ:CHK opened at $82.42 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $88.54 and its 200-day moving average is $83.28. The company has a quick ratio of 2.33, a current ratio of 2.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Chesapeake Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $72.84 and a 12 month high of $93.58. The firm has a market cap of $10.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.11 and a beta of 0.50.

Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:CHK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.64 by ($0.08). Chesapeake Energy had a return on equity of 4.87% and a net margin of 16.42%. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $674.99 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.87 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Chesapeake Energy Co. will post 0.98 EPS for the current year.

Chesapeake Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 16th were given a dividend of $0.715 per share. This represents a $2.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 15th. This is a boost from Chesapeake Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. Chesapeake Energy’s payout ratio is currently 31.00%.

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.