KBC Group NV Boosts Stock Holdings in Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK)

KBC Group NV grew its position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK) by 46.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,048 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 331 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Chesapeake Utilities were worth $127,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Copeland Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 9.5% during the 3rd quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 592,471 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $73,567,000 after buying an additional 51,164 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in Chesapeake Utilities by 342.4% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 37,048 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,600,000 after purchasing an additional 28,673 shares in the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp boosted its stake in Chesapeake Utilities by 9.5% in the 3rd quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 300,552 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $37,320,000 after purchasing an additional 26,147 shares during the period. Riverwater Partners LLC purchased a new position in Chesapeake Utilities during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,826,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in Chesapeake Utilities by 31.1% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 61,561 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $7,644,000 after purchasing an additional 14,607 shares in the last quarter. 83.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Chesapeake Utilities Price Performance

CPK opened at $123.56 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.06 and a beta of 0.65. 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 $98.25 and a 12-month high of $134.20. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $122.98 and a 200-day moving average price of $121.60.

Chesapeake Utilities (NYSE:CPK) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 9.08% and a net margin of 14.16%. The firm had revenue of $160.14 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $164.80 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.69 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Chesapeake Utilities Co. will post 5.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on CPK shares. Guggenheim upped their price target 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 raised Chesapeake Utilities from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $123.00.

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.