Ameriprise Financial Inc. Trims Stock Position in Unitil Co. (NYSE:UTL)

Ameriprise Financial Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Unitil Co. (NYSE:UTL - Free Report) by 8.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 57,061 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 5,234 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned 0.35% of Unitil worth $3,092,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Unitil by 798.2% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 512 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 455 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE boosted its position in shares of Unitil by 8,333.3% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,024 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $110,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unitil in the fourth quarter worth $166,000. Lido Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unitil during the 4th quarter valued at $221,000. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unitil during the 4th quarter valued at $244,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.76% of the company's stock.

Unitil Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:UTL traded up $0.42 during trading on Thursday, reaching $54.16. The company's stock had a trading volume of 60,754 shares, compared to its average volume of 62,911. The stock has a market capitalization of $880.15 million, a PE ratio of 18.48 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $56.67 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $56.11. Unitil Co. has a 12 month low of $48.94 and a 12 month high of $63.52.

Unitil (NYSE:UTL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.78 by ($0.04). Unitil had a return on equity of 9.36% and a net margin of 9.52%. The business had revenue of $207.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $193.03 million. On average, research analysts predict that Unitil Co. will post 3.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unitil Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Unitil's payout ratio is 61.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Guggenheim restated a "neutral" rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of Unitil in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th.

Unitil Profile

Unitil Corporation, a public utility holding company, engages in the distribution of electricity and natural gas. It operates through two segments, Utility Electric Operations, Utility Gas Operations. The company distributes electricity in the southeastern seacoast and state capital regions of New Hampshire, and the greater Fitchburg area of north central Massachusetts; and distributes natural gas in southeastern New Hampshire and portions of southern and central Maine, including the city of Portland and the Lewiston-Auburn area, as well as electricity and natural gas in the greater Fitchburg area of north central Massachusetts.