Unitil (NYSE:UTL) Hits New 52-Week Low - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Unitil Corporation shares reached a new 52-week low, trading as low as $45.11, indicating a significant drop from the previous close of $46.24.
• The company reported a quarterly EPS of $0.29, slightly exceeding analysts' expectations, with total revenue matching estimates at $101 million.
• Unitil declared a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share, representing an annualized dividend yield of 4.0%, with a payout ratio of 61.86%.

Unitil Corporation (NYSE:UTL - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $45.11 and last traded at $45.29, with a volume of 21269 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $46.24.

Unitil Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $49.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $53.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $817.58 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.88 and a beta of 0.68.

Unitil (NYSE:UTL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The utilities provider reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.01. Unitil had a return on equity of 9.46% and a net margin of 9.54%.The business had revenue of $101.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $101.00 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that Unitil Corporation will post 3.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unitil Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 14th were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 14th. Unitil's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.86%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Unitil

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Addison Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Unitil during the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000. CWM LLC increased its holdings in Unitil by 45.8% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 882 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Unitil by 27.8% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 887 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of Unitil in the 1st quarter valued at $99,000. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unitil in the 1st quarter valued at $100,000. 76.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.