Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC Acquires 975 Shares of Otter Tail Co. (NASDAQ:OTTR)

Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Otter Tail Co. (NASDAQ:OTTR) by 26.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,654 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 975 shares during the quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Otter Tail were worth $395,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Arizona State Retirement System grew its stake in shares of Otter Tail by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 10,688 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $811,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its stake in shares of Otter Tail by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 48,433 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,115,000 after buying an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio increased its holdings in Otter Tail by 10.0% during the third quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 2,200 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $167,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its position in Otter Tail by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 8,409 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $715,000 after acquiring an additional 358 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Otter Tail by 53.9% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,034 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $88,000 after acquiring an additional 362 shares during the period. 61.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Otter Tail Stock Performance

Shares of OTTR opened at $85.57 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $84.92 and a 200-day moving average of $82.69. Otter Tail Co. has a one year low of $68.96 and a one year high of $99.49. The company has a market cap of $3.57 billion, a PE ratio of 12.22 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.36.

Otter Tail (NASDAQ:OTTR) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.03. Otter Tail had a net margin of 21.81% and a return on equity of 21.64%. The company had revenue of $314.31 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $300.60 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.00 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Otter Tail Co. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Otter Tail Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 15th were paid a $0.468 dividend. This is a boost from Otter Tail’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 14th. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.19%. Otter Tail’s payout ratio is 26.71%.

About Otter Tail

Otter Tail Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in electric utility, manufacturing, and plastic pipe businesses in the United States. It operates through three segments: Electric, Manufacturing, and Plastics. The Electric segment produces, transmits, distributes, and sells electric energy in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota; and operates as a participant in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator markets.