United Utilities Group (LON:UU) Upgraded at Royal Bank Of Canada

Key Points

• Royal Bank of Canada upgraded United Utilities to "sector perform" and raised its price target to GBX 1,550 (from GBX 1,450), implying roughly a 9.4% upside from the prior close.
• Despite the upgrade, analyst consensus remains Hold (two Buys, four Holds) with an average target of GBX 1,409.50; the stock trades around GBX 1,416.50 and exhibits a high debt-to-equity ratio (512.65) and a P/E of 76.46.

United Utilities Group (LON:UU - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada to a "sector perform" rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,London Stock Exchange reports. The firm presently has a GBX 1,550 price objective on the stock, up from their prior price objective of GBX 1,450. Royal Bank Of Canada's price target suggests a potential upside of 9.42% from the company's previous close.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on UU. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a GBX 1,320 target price on shares of United Utilities Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of United Utilities Group from GBX 1,300 to GBX 1,450 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, United Utilities Group has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of GBX 1,409.50.

United Utilities Group Stock Down 2.8%

Shares of UU stock opened at GBX 1,416.50 on Tuesday. The stock's 50-day moving average is GBX 1,341.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is GBX 1,261.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 512.65, a current ratio of 2.55 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The company has a market capitalization of £9.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 76.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 0.56.

United Utilities Group (LON:UU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported GBX 107.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of GBX 261.63 billion during the quarter. United Utilities Group had a net margin of 22.43% and a return on equity of 27.72%. On average, equities analysts expect that United Utilities Group will post 50.9730539 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Utilities Group news, insider Marina Wyatt bought 2,400 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 1,269 per share, with a total value of £30,456. Insiders have acquired a total of 2,426 shares of company stock valued at $3,079,348 over the last ninety days. 0.05% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About United Utilities Group

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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