Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:CHK) Price Target Raised to $101.00 at Mizuho

Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:CHK) had its price objective boosted by Mizuho from $100.00 to $101.00 in a research report released on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the stock.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on CHK. Stephens lifted their price objective on Chesapeake Energy from $116.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Wednesday. Scotiabank boosted their price target 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. Citigroup raised Chesapeake Energy from a neutral rating to a buy rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $82.00 to $95.00 in a research report on Friday, January 12th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Chesapeake Energy from $92.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Benchmark dropped their price target on Chesapeake Energy from $107.00 to $93.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $105.83.

Chesapeake Energy Stock Performance

Chesapeake Energy stock opened at $86.67 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $86.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $82.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.99 and a current ratio of 2.33. The stock has a market cap of $11.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.68 and a beta of 0.51. Chesapeake Energy has a fifty-two week low of $72.84 and a fifty-two week high of $93.58.

Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:CHK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.64 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $674.99 million. Chesapeake Energy had a net margin of 16.42% and a return on equity of 4.87%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.87 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Chesapeake Energy will post 1.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chesapeake Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 16th will be issued a $0.715 dividend. This is a positive change from Chesapeake Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. This represents a $2.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.30%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. Chesapeake Energy’s payout ratio is presently 31.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Chesapeake Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Chesapeake Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its stake in Chesapeake Energy by 90.8% during the 1st quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 374 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Chesapeake Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in Chesapeake Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Adirondack Trust Co. purchased a new stake in Chesapeake Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. 97.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.