Great Lakes Advisors LLC Sells 10,955 Shares of Unitil Corporation $UTL

Key Points

• Great Lakes Advisors LLC has reduced its stake in Unitil Corporation by 15.9%, selling 10,955 shares and now holding approximately 58,159 shares worth $3,355,000.
• Unitil Corporation recently reported $0.29 earnings per share for the previous quarter, surpassing the consensus estimate of $0.28, with revenues meeting analyst expectations at $101.00 million.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.45, which reflects an annualized dividend of $1.80 and a yield of 4.0%, with a payout ratio of 61.86%.

Great Lakes Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Unitil Corporation (NYSE:UTL - Free Report) by 15.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 58,159 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 10,955 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.36% of Unitil worth $3,355,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Allianz Asset Management GmbH acquired a new position in shares of Unitil during the first quarter worth approximately $306,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Unitil by 32.1% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 7,531 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $434,000 after purchasing an additional 1,828 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of Unitil by 11.8% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 186,079 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $10,084,000 after purchasing an additional 19,631 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Unitil during the fourth quarter worth approximately $485,000. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Unitil during the first quarter worth approximately $220,000. 76.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Unitil Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:UTL traded down $0.33 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $45.98. 9,776 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 74,250. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.52. Unitil Corporation has a 1-year low of $44.61 and a 1-year high of $63.52. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $49.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $53.16. The firm has a market cap of $813.40 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.80 and a beta of 0.68.

Unitil (NYSE:UTL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The utilities provider reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $101.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $101.00 million. Unitil had a return on equity of 9.46% and a net margin of 9.54%. Research analysts anticipate 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 Thursday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 14th were paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 14th. Unitil's dividend payout ratio is 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.