Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK) Shares Sold by Versor Investments LP

Versor Investments LP lessened its stake in Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK) by 28.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,800 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,900 shares during the period. Versor Investments LP’s holdings in Chesapeake Utilities were worth $582,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CPK. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 2,018.2% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 233 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. grew its position in Chesapeake Utilities by 19.2% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 634 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $79,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its stake in Chesapeake Utilities by 46.2% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,048 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $127,000 after buying an additional 331 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Chesapeake Utilities during the 3rd quarter worth $182,000. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities in the 3rd quarter worth $202,000. 83.11% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on CPK shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Chesapeake Utilities from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday. Guggenheim boosted their target price on Chesapeake Utilities from $118.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd.

Chesapeake Utilities Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CPK opened at $126.70 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.38. Chesapeake Utilities Co. has a one year low of $98.32 and a one year high of $134.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.70 and a beta of 0.65. The company’s fifty day moving average is $122.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $122.41.

Chesapeake Utilities (NYSE:CPK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by ($0.04). Chesapeake Utilities had a return on equity of 9.08% and a net margin of 14.16%. The company had revenue of $215.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $237.84 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.64 EPS. Analysts forecast that Chesapeake Utilities Co. will post 5.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chesapeake Utilities Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.64 dividend. This represents a $2.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Chesapeake Utilities’s payout ratio is currently 48.58%.

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.