Chesapeake Utilities (NYSE:CPK) CEO Jeffry Householder Sells 1,908 Shares

Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (NYSE:CPK) CEO Jeffry Householder sold 1,908 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.83, for a total transaction of $240,083.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 51,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,532,590.28. The trade was a 3.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Chesapeake Utilities Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CPK opened at $126.19 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $131.26 and a 200 day moving average of $127.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The stock has a market cap of $2.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.33 and a beta of 0.79. Chesapeake Utilities Corporation has a 12 month low of $115.12 and a 12 month high of $140.59.

Chesapeake Utilities (NYSE:CPK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.90 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $179.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $167.30 million. Chesapeake Utilities had a return on equity of 9.03% and a net margin of 14.77%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.80 earnings per share. Chesapeake Utilities has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.150-6.350 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Chesapeake Utilities Corporation will post 5.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chesapeake Utilities Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th will be given a dividend of $0.685 per share. This represents a $2.74 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. Chesapeake Utilities’s payout ratio is presently 48.50%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Chesapeake Utilities by 1,909.1% in the 2nd quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 221 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Chesapeake Utilities by 94.7% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 222 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in Chesapeake Utilities by 292.9% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 220 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 164 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its position in Chesapeake Utilities by 66.1% during the third quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 274 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. 83.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Chesapeake Utilities from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 13th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Chesapeake Utilities in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Barclays set a $141.00 target price on shares of Chesapeake Utilities and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Finally, BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of Chesapeake Utilities in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $141.00.

Chesapeake Utilities Company Profile

Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (NYSE: CPK) is a diversified energy services holding company headquartered in Dover, Delaware. Through its operating subsidiaries, the company engages in natural gas distribution, transmission and storage; propane distribution; wholesale propane supply; and contract compression and natural gas liquids processing. Its core mission is to provide safe, reliable and cost-effective energy solutions to residential, commercial and industrial customers across multiple U.S.