United Utilities Group's (UU) "Hold" Rating Reaffirmed at Jefferies Financial Group

Key Points

• Jefferies reaffirmed a "Hold" on United Utilities with a GBX 1,320 target (implying ~0.6% upside), while JPMorgan raised its target to GBX 1,450 and the analyst consensus remains a "Hold" with an average target of GBX 1,381.40.
• Shares traded down to GBX 1,312 on heavy volume (3.83M shares vs. an average of 328k), with the company valued at about £8.99 billion and showing a high P/E of 70.82.
• Insider Marina Wyatt bought 2,400 shares in February, and insiders have modestly added to positions recently, with insiders owning roughly 0.05% of the stock.

United Utilities Group (LON:UU - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "hold" rating reissued by research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Digital Look reports. They currently have a GBX 1,320 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group's price objective suggests a potential upside of 0.61% from the company's current price.

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of GBX 1,381.40.

United Utilities Group Stock Performance

Shares of UU stock traded down GBX 28.50 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching GBX 1,312. 3,833,479 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 328,047. The stock has a market capitalization of £8.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 70.82, a P/E/G ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 0.56. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of GBX 1,341.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of GBX 1,260.34. 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 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 that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of GBX 1,269 per share, for a total transaction of £30,456. In the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 2,426 shares of company stock valued at $3,079,348. 0.05% of the stock is owned by 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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