Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK) Stock Position Lessened by Fruth Investment Management

Fruth Investment Management reduced its stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,399 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 250 shares during the quarter. Fruth Investment Management’s holdings in Chesapeake Utilities were worth $2,232,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of CPK. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in Chesapeake Utilities by 2,018.2% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 233 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 19.2% during 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 acquired a new position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities in the 3rd quarter worth $99,000. KBC Group NV raised its position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 46.2% during 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 period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 64.0% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,038 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $129,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.11% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Chesapeake Utilities from $118.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Chesapeake Utilities from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $123.00.

Chesapeake Utilities Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE CPK opened at $125.26 on Thursday. 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 one year low of $98.25 and a one year high of $134.20. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $123.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $121.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.85 billion, a PE ratio of 25.41 and a beta of 0.65.

Chesapeake Utilities (NYSE:CPK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.11. Chesapeake Utilities had a net margin of 14.16% and a return on equity of 9.08%. The company had revenue of $160.14 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.80 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.69 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Chesapeake Utilities Co. will post 5.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.