United Utilities Group PLC (LON:UU) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst consensus: Six analysts give United Utilities a consensus Hold (four hold, two buy) with an average 12-month price target of GBX 1,409.50; Royal Bank of Canada and JPMorgan recently raised targets to GBX 1,550 and GBX 1,450 respectively.
• Insider buying: Director Marina Wyatt purchased 2,400 shares at GBX 1,269, and insiders acquired 2,426 shares in the past three months, with insiders now holding 0.05% of the company.
• Stock and valuation metrics: LON:UU opened at GBX 1,416.50 (50-day MA GBX 1,341.12, 200-day MA GBX 1,261.93) with a market cap of £9.70 billion, a high P/E of 76.46 and a very elevated debt-to-equity ratio of 512.65.

Shares of United Utilities Group PLC (LON:UU - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the six analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is GBX 1,409.50.

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded shares of United Utilities Group to a "sector perform" rating and upped their target price for the company from GBX 1,450 to GBX 1,550 in a research report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating and set a GBX 1,320 target price on shares of United Utilities Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped 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.

Insider Activity at United Utilities Group

In other United Utilities Group news, insider Marina Wyatt bought 2,400 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was bought at an average price of GBX 1,269 per share, for a total transaction of £30,456. In the last three months, insiders have acquired 2,426 shares of company stock worth $3,079,348. Insiders own 0.05% of the company's stock.

United Utilities Group Stock Performance

LON:UU opened at GBX 1,416.50 on Tuesday. The stock's 50-day moving average price is GBX 1,341.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is GBX 1,261.93. The firm has a market cap 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. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 512.65, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 2.55.

United Utilities Group (LON:UU - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported GBX 107.10 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 predict that United Utilities Group will post 50.9730539 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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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