Otter Tail (NASDAQ:OTTR) Hits New 52-Week Low – Here’s Why

Otter Tail Corporation (NASDAQ:OTTR – Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low on Thursday. The stock traded as low as $79.85 and last traded at $79.65, with a volume of 156,819 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $83.82.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on OTTR shares. Weiss Ratings lowered Otter Tail from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday. Siebert Williams Shank upgraded Otter Tail from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $91.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Otter Tail from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $91.00.

Read Our Latest Research Report on OTTR

Otter Tail Trading Down 2.0%

The stock has a market capitalization of $3.29 billion, a PE ratio of 18.72 and a beta of 0.42. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $88.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $88.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

Otter Tail (NASDAQ:OTTR – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 2nd. The utilities provider reported $1.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.55 by ($0.14). Otter Tail had a net margin of 13.45% and a return on equity of 13.47%. The company had revenue of $320.51 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $327.87 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.86 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Otter Tail Corporation will post 5.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Otter Tail Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Friday, November 13th will be given a $0.5775 dividend. This represents a $2.31 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 13th. Otter Tail’s payout ratio is currently 55.13%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Otter Tail

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Otter Tail by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 20,515 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,806,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lifted its position in Otter Tail by 52.4% during the third quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 9,312 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $820,000 after purchasing an additional 3,202 shares during the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its stake in shares of Otter Tail by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 21,316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,877,000 after buying an additional 337 shares in the last quarter. Lido Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Otter Tail by 23.9% in the 3rd quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 7,685 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $677,000 after buying an additional 1,482 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Paragon Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Otter Tail in the 3rd quarter worth about $246,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.32% of the company’s stock.

About Otter Tail

(Get Free Report)

Otter Tail Corporation is a diversified company headquartered in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. Through its electric utility subsidiary, Otter Tail Power Company, it generates, transmits and distributes electricity to residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural customers.

Otter Tail Power Company serves customers across portions of western Minnesota, eastern North Dakota and northeastern South Dakota. Its generation portfolio includes coal, natural gas, wind and other energy resources, supporting the company’s role as a regional provider of electric power and related utility services.

Beyond its utility operations, Otter Tail Corporation owns manufacturing businesses that produce fabricated metal components, plastic products and other specialized goods.

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