Unitil Corporation (NYSE:UTL) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Unitil Corporation (NYSE:UTL) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the five analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $56.50.

Several research firms recently weighed in on UTL. Freedom Capital lowered shares of Unitil from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Weiss Ratings raised Unitil from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Unitil in a research note on Monday, May 11th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $56.00 target price on the stock.

Unitil Stock Performance

NYSE:UTL opened at $53.89 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The company has a market cap of $982.76 million, a P/E ratio of 17.00 and a beta of 0.31. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $53.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $52.41. Unitil has a fifty-two week low of $44.61 and a fifty-two week high of $57.26.

Unitil (NYSE:UTL) last issued its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The utilities provider reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.26 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $113.19 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $113.19 million. Unitil had a return on equity of 9.53% and a net margin of 9.49%. Analysts expect that Unitil will post 3.31 EPS for the current year.

Unitil Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.475 per share. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. Unitil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.94%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unitil

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Allworth Financial LP acquired a new stake in shares of Unitil during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unitil in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unitil in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in Unitil in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in Unitil by 196.1% during 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 in the last quarter. 76.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Unitil

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.