BlackRock Institutional Trust Company N.A. cut its stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities Corp. (NYSE:CPK) by 1.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 407,307 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,223 shares during the period. BlackRock Institutional Trust Company N.A. owned about 2.67% of Chesapeake Utilities Corp. worth $25,648,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CPK. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities Corp. by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 28,208 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,601,000 after buying an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System raised its position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities Corp. by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 48,902 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,775,000 after buying an additional 1,600 shares in the last quarter. Monarch Partners Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities Corp. by 113.3% in the fourth quarter. Monarch Partners Asset Management LLC now owns 95,656 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,428,000 after buying an additional 50,806 shares in the last quarter. WBI Investments Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities Corp. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,580,000. Finally, Argent Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities Corp. by 21.3% in the fourth quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 48,768 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,768,000 after buying an additional 8,575 shares in the last quarter.
Shares of Chesapeake Utilities Corp. (NYSE:CPK) traded down 0.33% during trading on Thursday, reaching $63.71. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 49,437 shares. Chesapeake Utilities Corp. has a 12-month low of $45.25 and a 12-month high of $67.50. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $63.36 and its 200-day moving average is $61.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $975.27 million and a PE ratio of 24.11.
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 15th were given a $0.305 dividend. This is a positive change from Chesapeake Utilities Corp.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.91%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 13th.
CPK has been the subject of several recent research reports. Zacks Investment Research lowered Chesapeake Utilities Corp. from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, April 22nd. Janney Montgomery Scott reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $59.00 price target (up previously from $56.00) on shares of Chesapeake Utilities Corp. in a research report on Tuesday, May 10th. BB&T Corp. assumed coverage on Chesapeake Utilities Corp. in a research report on Wednesday, June 22nd. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, Hilliard Lyons raised Chesapeake Utilities Corp. from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $72.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, June 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $64.00.
In other Chesapeake Utilities Corp. news, insider John R. Schimkaitis sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.03, for a total value of $31,515.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.
Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (Chesapeake) is an energy company. The Company, through its operating divisions and subsidiaries, is engaged in regulated and unregulated energy businesses. It provides natural gas distribution and transmission, natural gas supply, gathering and processing, electric distribution and propane distribution service.
