Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK) Short Interest Update

Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK) was the target of a large decrease in short interest during the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 343,200 shares, a decrease of 8.0% from the October 15th total of 373,200 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 89,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.8 days.

Chesapeake Utilities Stock Performance

Chesapeake Utilities stock traded down $1.30 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $127.98. The company had a trading volume of 16,792 shares, compared to its average volume of 112,716. The company has a market capitalization of $2.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.24 and a beta of 0.61. Chesapeake Utilities has a 12-month low of $90.21 and a 12-month high of $129.54. The company’s fifty day moving average is $121.83 and its 200-day moving average is $115.58. 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 Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a dividend of $0.64 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $2.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.00%. Chesapeake Utilities’s dividend payout ratio is presently 51.93%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CPK. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 6.8% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,859,001 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $199,471,000 after acquiring an additional 118,878 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in Chesapeake Utilities by 0.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,222,149 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $152,513,000 after purchasing an additional 11,068 shares in the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Chesapeake Utilities by 9.5% during the third quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 592,471 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $73,567,000 after purchasing an additional 51,164 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Chesapeake Utilities by 1.6% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 516,586 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $64,157,000 after purchasing an additional 8,358 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 4.1% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 489,433 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $51,979,000 after buying an additional 19,100 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.11% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on CPK shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Chesapeake Utilities from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Barclays increased 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.

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.