July 29 (Reuters) -

Natural gas producer Chesapeake Energy ( CHK ) on Monday

reported a second-quarter loss, compared to a year-ago profit,

dented by persistently weak prices for the commodity.

The company's net loss was $227 million, or $1.73 per share,

for the three months ended June 30, compared with a profit of

$391 million, or $2.73 per share, in the year-ago quarter.