Bank of New York Mellon Corp Sells 6,675 Shares of Unitil Corporation (NYSE:UTL)

Bank of New York Mellon Corp reduced its stake in shares of Unitil Corporation (NYSE:UTL - Free Report) by 3.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 196,800 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 6,675 shares during the quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned 1.21% of Unitil worth $11,353,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Unitil by 798.2% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 512 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 455 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Unitil by 27.8% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 887 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Unitil in the fourth quarter worth about $166,000. Lido Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Unitil in the fourth quarter worth approximately $221,000. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unitil during the fourth quarter valued at $244,000. 76.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unitil Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of Unitil stock traded up $0.85 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $52.14. 64,247 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 63,370. The company has a market cap of $847.73 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.10 and a beta of 0.63. Unitil Corporation has a 52 week low of $50.81 and a 52 week high of $63.52. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $52.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $54.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.66.

Unitil (NYSE:UTL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.74 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.78 by ($0.04). Unitil had a return on equity of 9.49% and a net margin of 9.74%. The firm had revenue of $207.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $193.03 million. Equities analysts expect that Unitil Corporation will post 3.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unitil Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.45%. Unitil's dividend payout ratio is 61.43%.

Unitil Company 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.