Chesapeake Energy Co. (NASDAQ:CHK) Receives $103.58 Average PT from Analysts

Shares of Chesapeake Energy Co. (NASDAQ:CHK) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $104.73.

A number of research firms have recently commented on CHK. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Chesapeake Energy from $118.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Barclays started coverage on shares of Chesapeake Energy in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $102.00 target price on the stock. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Chesapeake Energy from $92.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Chesapeake Energy from $92.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, TheStreet cut shares of Chesapeake Energy from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Friday, December 29th.

Chesapeake Energy Trading Up 2.4 %

NASDAQ:CHK opened at $90.69 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $85.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $82.07. Chesapeake Energy has a 52 week low of $72.84 and a 52 week high of $91.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 1.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The stock has a market cap of $11.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.39 and a beta of 0.52.

Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:CHK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by $0.89. Chesapeake Energy had a net margin of 27.74% and a return on equity of 6.74%. The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $962.95 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.22 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Chesapeake Energy will post 2.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chesapeake Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 7th were paid a dividend of $0.575 per share. This represents a $2.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.54%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 6th. Chesapeake Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.66%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CHK. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Gladius Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Adirondack Trust Co. bought a new stake in shares of Chesapeake Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.93% of the company’s stock.

Chesapeake Energy Company 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.