Quantbot Technologies LP Invests $50,000 in Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK)

Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 408 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $50,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 222 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 159.9% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 876 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $106,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 46.2% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,048 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $127,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Chesapeake Utilities during the 3rd quarter valued at about $182,000. Finally, Cibc World Markets Corp bought a new position in Chesapeake Utilities during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $251,000. 83.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Chesapeake Utilities Trading Up 0.9 %

NYSE:CPK opened at $129.61 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $125.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $123.90. The stock has a market cap of $2.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.29 and a beta of 0.60. 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 Co. has a 12 month low of $98.32 and a 12 month high of $134.20.

Chesapeake Utilities (NYSE:CPK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $237.84 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.64 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict 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 will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.64 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.98%. Chesapeake Utilities’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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