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

Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:CHK) had its price objective raised by Mizuho from $100.00 to $101.00 in a research note published on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the stock.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the stock. 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 price objective for the company. UBS Group lifted their price target on Chesapeake Energy from $92.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on Chesapeake Energy from $92.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Benchmark cut their target price on Chesapeake Energy from $107.00 to $93.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, KeyCorp initiated coverage on Chesapeake Energy in a report on Thursday, April 4th. They set a sector weight rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $105.83.

Chesapeake Energy Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ CHK opened at $86.67 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $86.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $82.17. Chesapeake Energy has a one year low of $72.84 and a one year high of $93.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.36 billion, a PE ratio of 11.68 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 2.33 and a quick ratio of 1.99.

Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:CHK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.64 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 last year, the company earned $1.87 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Chesapeake Energy will post 1.76 EPS for the current year.

Chesapeake Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 16th will be paid a $0.715 dividend. This is an increase 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CHK. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale raised its stake in shares of Chesapeake Energy by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 9,439 shares of the company’s stock worth $716,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. lifted its stake in Chesapeake Energy by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 3,761 shares of the company’s stock worth $289,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP boosted its position in Chesapeake Energy by 6.2% during the third quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 2,812 shares of the company’s stock valued at $242,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in shares of Chesapeake Energy by 16.5% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $96,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Chesapeake Energy by 90.8% in the first quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 374 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 178 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.