Unitil Corporation (NYSE:UTL) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Shares of Unitil Corporation (NYSE:UTLGet Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of “Reduce” by the five analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $57.00.

Several research firms have commented on UTL. Freedom Capital lowered Unitil from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Zacks Research upgraded Unitil to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Scotiabank began coverage on Unitil in a research note on Friday, April 10th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $57.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Unitil in a research note on Monday. They set an “underweight” rating for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Unitil from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th.

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Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Unitil in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in Unitil by 100.0% in the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 568 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 284 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Unitil in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in Unitil in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Unitil by 196.1% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 404 shares during the last quarter. 76.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unitil Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UTL traded up $0.06 during trading on Monday, reaching $50.81. 101,438 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 119,567. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $52.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $50.65. The stock has a market cap of $914.07 million, a P/E ratio of 16.08 and a beta of 0.33. Unitil has a 12-month low of $44.61 and a 12-month high of $57.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99.

Unitil (NYSE:UTLGet Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.88 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.02. Unitil had a return on equity of 9.89% and a net margin of 9.60%.The firm had revenue of $216.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $179.13 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Unitil will post 3.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unitil Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.475 per share. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 14th. Unitil’s payout ratio is currently 60.13%.

Unitil Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Unitil Corporation (NYSE: UTL) is a publicly traded energy delivery company that provides regulated electric and natural gas distribution services. The company delivers energy to residential, commercial and industrial customers through a network of distribution systems, offering safe and reliable service across its service areas. Unitil’s operations include system maintenance, emergency response, meter reading and customer support functions, all governed by state regulatory commissions.

Headquartered in Hampton, New Hampshire, Unitil serves communities in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine.

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Analyst Recommendations for Unitil (NYSE:UTL)

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