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

Versor Investments LP lowered its stake in Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK) by 28.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor 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 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Chesapeake Utilities in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,399,000. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 5,350 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $649,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund raised its holdings in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 12,282 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,490,000 after purchasing an additional 851 shares in the last quarter. FourThought Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities during the 4th quarter worth $4,632,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 110,442 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $13,402,000 after purchasing an additional 4,632 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.11% of the company’s stock.

Chesapeake Utilities Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:CPK opened at $126.70 on Friday. 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 has a 50 day simple moving average of $122.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $122.41. The company has a market capitalization of $2.89 billion, a PE ratio of 25.70 and a beta of 0.65. Chesapeake Utilities Co. has a twelve month low of $98.32 and a twelve month high of $134.20.

Chesapeake Utilities (NYSE:CPK) last announced its quarterly 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). The company had revenue of $215.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $237.84 million. Chesapeake Utilities had a net margin of 14.16% and a return on equity of 9.08%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.64 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Chesapeake Utilities Co. will post 5.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chesapeake Utilities Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on CPK. StockNews.com cut Chesapeake Utilities from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday. Guggenheim increased their price objective on Chesapeake Utilities from $118.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd.

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.