Swiss National Bank Buys 600 Shares of Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK)

Swiss National Bank grew its position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 44,150 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Chesapeake Utilities were worth $5,358,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in Chesapeake Utilities in the 3rd quarter valued at about $461,000. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities during the third quarter valued at approximately $481,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Chesapeake Utilities by 3.0% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 259,064 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,168,000 after acquiring an additional 7,666 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its position in Chesapeake Utilities by 12.7% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,859 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $603,000 after purchasing an additional 547 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Glenmede Trust Co. NA grew its stake in Chesapeake Utilities by 15.4% in the 3rd quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 6,782 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $842,000 after purchasing an additional 904 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.11% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Chesapeake Utilities from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th.

Chesapeake Utilities Trading Up 1.4 %

NYSE:CPK opened at $125.80 on Tuesday. Chesapeake Utilities Co. has a 12 month low of $98.32 and a 12 month high of $134.20. The company has a current ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $124.51 and its 200 day moving average is $123.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.89 billion, a PE ratio of 25.52 and a beta of 0.60.

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

Chesapeake Utilities Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.64 dividend. This represents a $2.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Chesapeake Utilities’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.58%.

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.