ProShare Advisors LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Unitil Co. (NYSE:UTL)

ProShare Advisors LLC lowered its position in Unitil Co. (NYSE:UTL - Free Report) by 43.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 139,116 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 109,070 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC owned 0.86% of Unitil worth $7,539,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wernau Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Unitil during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,673,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in Unitil by 9.6% during the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 560,944 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $30,398,000 after buying an additional 49,130 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Unitil during the 4th quarter valued at $2,082,000. Finally, Tudor Investment Corp ET AL purchased a new stake in shares of Unitil in the 4th quarter worth about $1,326,000. Institutional investors own 76.76% of the company's stock.

Unitil Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE UTL traded up $0.08 on Friday, reaching $53.32. 7,781 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 62,740. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $56.87 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $56.28. Unitil Co. has a 12 month low of $48.94 and a 12 month high of $63.52. The company has a market cap of $866.50 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.20 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25.

Unitil (NYSE:UTL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 9.36% and a net margin of 9.52%. The company had revenue of $207.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $193.03 million. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Unitil Co. will post 3.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unitil Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.38%. Unitil's dividend payout ratio is currently 61.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Guggenheim reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $55.00 price target on shares of Unitil in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th.

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.