Russell Investments Group Ltd. Boosts Stock Position in Unitil Corporation $UTL

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in Unitil Corporation by 16.2%, purchasing an additional 6,602 shares, bringing its total ownership to approximately 47,262 shares valued at $2.73 million.
• Unitil Corporation recently reported earnings of $0.29 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations of $0.28, with a quarterly revenue of $101 million.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.45, set to be paid on August 28th, representing an annualized yield of 3.8%.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in Unitil Corporation (NYSE:UTL - Free Report) by 16.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 47,262 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 6,602 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.29% of Unitil worth $2,727,000 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. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Unitil by 27.8% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 887 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Unitil in the 4th quarter worth about $166,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp bought a new position in Unitil in the 1st quarter worth about $212,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in Unitil in the 1st quarter worth about $220,000. Finally, Lido Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unitil in the 4th quarter worth about $221,000. 76.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Unitil Price Performance

Shares of UTL traded up $0.14 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $46.89. The stock had a trading volume of 134,946 shares, compared to its average volume of 126,272. The company's 50-day moving average is $50.48 and its 200 day moving average is $54.00. Unitil Corporation has a 12-month low of $46.31 and a 12-month high of $63.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The company has a market capitalization of $829.40 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.11 and a beta of 0.66.

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 return on equity of 9.46% and a net margin of 9.54%.The firm had revenue of $101.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $101.00 million. On average, equities analysts predict that Unitil Corporation will post 3.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unitil Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 14th were issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 14th. Unitil's dividend 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.