Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (NYSE:CPK) Stock Rated “Moderate Buy” by Sell-Side Analysts

Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (NYSE:CPK) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $142.50.

CPK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company set a $136.00 price objective on Chesapeake Utilities and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. Barclays set a $134.00 target price on Chesapeake Utilities and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 19th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Chesapeake Utilities from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Huntington initiated coverage on Chesapeake Utilities in a research report on Monday, September 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $150.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Chesapeake Utilities from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st.

Chesapeake Utilities Price Performance

NYSE CPK opened at $136.46 on Friday. Chesapeake Utilities has a 52 week low of $118.88 and a 52 week high of $140.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market cap of $3.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.76 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $131.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $129.22.

Chesapeake Utilities (NYSE:CPK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $201.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $198.91 million. Chesapeake Utilities had a net margin of 15.12% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.04 EPS. Chesapeake Utilities has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.750-8.000 EPS. Analysts forecast that Chesapeake Utilities will post 6.40 EPS for the current year.

Chesapeake Utilities Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 5th. Investors of record on Monday, September 14th were paid a dividend of $0.7350 per share. This represents a $2.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 14th. Chesapeake Utilities’s payout ratio is currently 46.89%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Chesapeake Utilities

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Chesapeake Utilities in the 2nd quarter valued at about $459,185,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in Chesapeake Utilities during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,935,000. Energy Income Partners LLC acquired a new position in Chesapeake Utilities during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,080,000. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities during the 2nd quarter worth about $19,744,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities during the 2nd quarter worth about $16,427,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.11% of the company’s stock.

Chesapeake Utilities Company Profile

Chesapeake Utilities Corporation is an energy delivery company that provides natural gas, propane, electricity and related services to residential, commercial, industrial and institutional customers. Its operations include regulated utility businesses as well as unregulated energy and infrastructure activities.

The company distributes natural gas and electricity, transports natural gas through pipeline systems, and supplies propane and other fuels. It also develops and operates energy infrastructure and provides renewable natural gas and other energy solutions through its portfolio of operating subsidiaries.

Founded in 1859, Chesapeake Utilities serves customers primarily in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida and Ohio.