Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Sells 21,899 Shares of Unitil Corporation $UTL

Key Points

• Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has reduced its stake in Unitil Corporation by 25.8%, holding 63,056 shares worth approximately $3.6 million after selling 21,899 shares.
• Vanguard Group Inc. and other hedge funds have increased their positions in Unitil, with Vanguard boosting its holdings by 6.4% to own over 1.36 million shares worth about $78.76 million.
• Unitil recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share, representing an annualized yield of 3.9% and a payout ratio of 61.86%.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in Unitil Corporation (NYSE:UTL - Free Report) by 25.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 63,056 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 21,899 shares during the quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. owned about 0.39% of Unitil worth $3,638,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of Unitil by 8.6% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 77,382 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,193,000 after buying an additional 6,117 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its holdings in shares of Unitil by 17.9% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 30,392 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,647,000 after acquiring an additional 4,618 shares in the last quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. acquired a new position in Unitil in the 4th quarter worth $485,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in shares of Unitil by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 9,087 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $492,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC grew its position in shares of Unitil by 1,011.0% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 52,661 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,854,000 after buying an additional 47,921 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.76% of the company's stock.

Unitil Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UTL traded up $0.03 during trading on Monday, reaching $45.34. The company had a trading volume of 8,624 shares, compared to its average volume of 77,251. The firm's fifty day moving average is $48.58 and its 200 day moving average is $52.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $801.98 million, a PE ratio of 15.57 and a beta of 0.68. Unitil Corporation has a twelve month low of $44.61 and a twelve month high of $61.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.58.

Unitil (NYSE:UTL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The utilities provider reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.01. Unitil had a net margin of 9.54% and a return on equity of 9.46%. The business had revenue of $101.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $101.00 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that Unitil Corporation will post 3.08 EPS for the current year.

Unitil Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 14th were paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 14th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.0%. Unitil's payout ratio is presently 61.86%.

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.