Brokerages Set Chesapeake Energy Co. (NASDAQ:CHK) Price Target at $103.58

Chesapeake Energy Co. (NASDAQ:CHK) has received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the thirteen brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $103.58.

Several research firms have issued reports on CHK. Scotiabank upped their price target on Chesapeake Energy from $92.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Mizuho reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Chesapeake Energy in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Chesapeake Energy from $118.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on shares of Chesapeake Energy in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. They set a “sector weight” rating on the stock. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Chesapeake Energy from $92.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th.

Chesapeake Energy Price Performance

NASDAQ CHK opened at $88.41 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.25 and a beta of 0.52. Chesapeake Energy has a 1 year low of $72.84 and a 1 year high of $91.03. The business’s fifty day moving average is $84.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $82.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.99 and a current ratio of 1.99.

Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:CHK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.89. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $962.95 million. Chesapeake Energy had a return on equity of 6.74% and a net margin of 27.74%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.22 earnings per share. On average, 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 7th were paid a $0.575 dividend. This represents a $2.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.60%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 6th. Chesapeake Energy’s payout ratio is presently 13.66%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Chesapeake Energy

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

About Chesapeake Energy

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.