United Utilities Group (LON:UU) Shares Pass Above 200-Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Shares of United Utilities Group passed above its 200-day moving average, trading as high as GBX 1,341.50 and last at GBX 1,335.50 versus the 200‑day MA of GBX 1,259.78, on volume of 1,277,321.
• JPMorgan raised its price target to GBX 1,450 while keeping a "neutral" rating, and the Street consensus is a Moderate Buy with a consensus target of GBX 1,396.75 (two Buy, two Hold ratings).
• The company has a market cap of £9.18 billion but appears richly valued with a P/E of 72.36 and an extremely high debt-to-equity ratio of 571.15, while insiders made small recent purchases (e.g., Marina Wyatt bought 2,400 shares at GBX 1,269).

Shares of United Utilities Group PLC (LON:UU - Get Free Report) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 1,259.78 and traded as high as GBX 1,341.50. United Utilities Group shares last traded at GBX 1,335.50, with a volume of 1,277,321 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of United Utilities Group from GBX 1,300 to GBX 1,450 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Utilities Group currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of GBX 1,396.75.

United Utilities Group Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of £9.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 72.36, a P/E/G ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of GBX 1,342.38 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 1,259.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 571.15, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 2.22.

Insider Transactions at United Utilities Group

In other United Utilities Group news, insider Marina Wyatt purchased 2,400 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of GBX 1,269 per share, with a total value of £30,456. Over the last quarter, insiders bought 2,426 shares of company stock valued at $3,079,348. 0.05% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

United Utilities Group Company Profile

United Utilities Group PLC provides water and wastewater services in the United Kingdom. It is involved in the renewable energy generation, corporate trustee, financing, and property management activities; and provision of consulting, and project management services. The company operates 43,000 kilometers of water pipes; and 79,000 kilometers of wastewater pipes. United Utilities Group PLC was incorporated in 2008 and is based in Warrington, the United Kingdom.

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