Cibc World Markets Corp Invests $251,000 in Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK)

Cibc World Markets Corp bought a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 2,068 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $251,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Natixis Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Chesapeake Utilities during the 4th quarter valued at $1,216,000. Swiss National Bank boosted its stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 44,150 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,358,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 139.3% during the fourth quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 4,099 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $497,000 after buying an additional 2,386 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities during the fourth quarter valued at about $5,110,000. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System raised its stake in Chesapeake Utilities by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 6,516 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $791,000 after buying an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.11% of the company’s stock.

Chesapeake Utilities Stock Down 1.1 %

NYSE:CPK opened at $124.58 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.38 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $124.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $123.65. The company has a market capitalization of $2.87 billion, a PE ratio of 25.27 and a beta of 0.60. Chesapeake Utilities Co. has a 1-year low of $98.32 and a 1-year high of $134.20.

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

Chesapeake Utilities Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.05%. Chesapeake Utilities’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.58%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Chesapeake Utilities 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.