Chesapeake Energy Co. (NASDAQ:CHK) Receives $99.92 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

Chesapeake Energy Co. (NASDAQ:CHK) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the fifteen brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $99.92.

CHK has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Chesapeake Energy in a report on Thursday, July 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $110.00 price objective on the stock. KeyCorp initiated coverage on shares of Chesapeake Energy in a report on Thursday, June 27th. They issued a “sector weight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Chesapeake Energy from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Mizuho cut their target price on Chesapeake Energy from $111.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Chesapeake Energy to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th.

Chesapeake Energy Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CHK opened at $81.46 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $75.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $82.24. Chesapeake Energy has a 1-year low of $69.12 and a 1-year high of $93.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 2.16 and a quick ratio of 2.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.98 and a beta of 0.47.

Chesapeake Energy (NASDAQ:CHK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 29th. The company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.02 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $505.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $822.54 million. Chesapeake Energy had a net margin of 8.68% and a return on equity of 4.00%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.64 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 73.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Chesapeake Energy will post 1.43 EPS for the current year.

Chesapeake Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 15th were issued a $0.575 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $2.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.82%. Chesapeake Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CHK. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new position in Chesapeake Energy in the first quarter valued at $37,000. BOKF NA purchased a new position in shares of Chesapeake Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $45,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Chesapeake Energy by 75.6% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 569 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Chesapeake Energy by 895.6% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 677 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 609 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. boosted its holdings in Chesapeake Energy by 1,384.8% in the second quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 683 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 637 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.