Aristotle Capital Boston LLC Sells 67,127 Shares of Unitil Co. (NYSE:UTL)

Aristotle Capital Boston LLC decreased its position in Unitil Co. (NYSE:UTL - Free Report) by 14.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 384,394 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 67,127 shares during the period. Aristotle Capital Boston LLC owned approximately 2.37% of Unitil worth $20,830,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UTL. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Unitil by 798.2% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 512 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 455 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in shares of Unitil by 8,333.3% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,024 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $110,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unitil in the fourth quarter worth $166,000. Lido Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Unitil during the fourth quarter valued at $221,000. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new stake in Unitil in the 4th quarter worth about $244,000. 76.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unitil Stock Performance

NYSE UTL traded up $0.61 on Tuesday, hitting $59.87. 50,807 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 61,879. The business's 50 day moving average price is $57.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $56.54. Unitil Co. has a 52-week low of $48.94 and a 52-week high of $63.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The company has a market capitalization of $972.65 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.43 and a beta of 0.67.

Unitil (NYSE:UTL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.78 by ($0.04). Unitil had a net margin of 9.52% and a return on equity of 9.36%. Equities analysts expect that Unitil Co. will post 3.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Unitil Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Unitil's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 61.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Unitil Company Profile

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.