CENTRAL TRUST Co Has $1.37 Million Stake in Chesapeake Energy Co. (NASDAQ:CHK)

CENTRAL TRUST Co decreased its stake in Chesapeake Energy Co. (NASDAQ:CHK) by 11.4% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 15,380 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,980 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in Chesapeake Energy were worth $1,366,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CHK. TD Asset Management Inc raised its position in Chesapeake Energy by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 14,529 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,253,000 after purchasing an additional 367 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp bought a new position in Chesapeake Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $371,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its position in Chesapeake Energy by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 6,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $578,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Chesapeake Energy by 229.0% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 491,006 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,339,000 after purchasing an additional 341,747 shares during the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System raised its position in shares of Chesapeake Energy by 6.0% during the third quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 239,233 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,629,000 after acquiring an additional 13,473 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.93% of the company’s stock.

Chesapeake Energy Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of Chesapeake Energy stock traded down $0.64 during trading on Thursday, reaching $89.11. 1,352,525 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,984,920. The company has a quick ratio of 2.33, a current ratio of 2.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Chesapeake Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $72.84 and a twelve month high of $93.58. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $88.50 and a 200-day moving average price of $82.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.10 and a beta of 0.51.

Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:CHK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by ($0.08). Chesapeake Energy had a net margin of 16.42% and a return on equity of 4.87%. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $674.99 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.87 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Chesapeake Energy Co. will post 1.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chesapeake Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be paid a $0.715 dividend. This represents a $2.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.21%. This is a boost from Chesapeake Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 15th. Chesapeake Energy’s payout ratio is presently 31.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group boosted their target price on Chesapeake Energy from $92.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Scotiabank boosted their target price on Chesapeake Energy from $92.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Stephens boosted their target price on Chesapeake Energy from $116.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Chesapeake Energy from $118.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Benchmark dropped their target price on Chesapeake Energy from $107.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Chesapeake Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $106.67.

Chesapeake Energy Profile

Chesapeake Energy Corporation operates as an independent exploration and production company in the United States. It engages in acquisition, exploration, and development of properties to produce oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids from underground reservoirs. The company holds interests in natural gas resource plays in the Marcellus Shale in the northern Appalachian Basin in Pennsylvania and the Haynesville/Bossier Shales in northwestern Louisiana.