Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC Buys 1,264 Shares of Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK)

Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK) by 23.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 6,693 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,264 shares during the quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Chesapeake Utilities were worth $812,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 2,018.2% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 233 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 19.2% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 634 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities in the 3rd quarter worth $99,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 64.0% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,038 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $129,000 after acquiring an additional 405 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities in the 3rd quarter worth $182,000. 83.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Chesapeake Utilities Stock Up 0.3 %

Chesapeake Utilities stock opened at $121.24 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.38. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $124.53 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $121.11. The company has a market cap of $2.76 billion, a PE ratio of 24.59 and a beta of 0.65. Chesapeake Utilities Co. has a fifty-two week low of $98.25 and a fifty-two week high of $134.20.

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

Chesapeake Utilities Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. This represents a $2.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.11%. Chesapeake Utilities’s payout ratio is presently 51.93%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on CPK shares. Guggenheim upped 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 upped their target price on Chesapeake Utilities from $118.00 to $124.00 and gave the company 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 research report on Friday, November 8th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $123.00.

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.