Northern Trust Corp Sells 11,315 Shares of Unitil Corporation $UTL

Key Points

• Northern Trust Corp has reduced its holdings in Unitil Corporation by 6.1%, selling 11,315 shares, and now owns 1.08% of the company worth approximately $10.08 million.
• Unitil recently reported earnings of $0.29 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations, and generated revenue of $101 million during the last quarter.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share, representing an annualized dividend of $1.80 and a yield of 3.9% with a payout ratio of 61.86%.

Northern Trust Corp reduced its holdings in Unitil Corporation (NYSE:UTL - Free Report) by 6.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 174,764 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 11,315 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned 1.08% of Unitil worth $10,082,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in UTL. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Unitil in the 1st quarter worth about $7,457,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Unitil by 6.4% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,365,282 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $78,763,000 after acquiring an additional 82,137 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Unitil by 7,273.3% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 51,171 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,952,000 after acquiring an additional 50,477 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in Unitil by 1,011.0% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 52,661 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,854,000 after acquiring an additional 47,921 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Annex Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Unitil by 119.2% in the 1st quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 47,111 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,718,000 after acquiring an additional 25,623 shares during the last quarter. 76.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Unitil Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UTL opened at $46.18 on Friday. Unitil Corporation has a twelve month low of $45.11 and a twelve month high of $63.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $816.84 million, a P/E ratio of 15.87 and a beta of 0.68. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $49.86 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $53.65.

Unitil (NYSE:UTL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 4th. The utilities provider reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.01. Unitil had a net margin of 9.54% and a return on equity of 9.46%. The company had revenue of $101.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $101.00 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Unitil Corporation will post 3.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unitil Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 14th were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 14th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.9%. Unitil's dividend payout ratio is 61.86%.

About Unitil

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.

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