Unitil (NYSE:UTL) Hits New 1-Year 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 trading on Monday . The stock 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 firm's fifty day simple moving average is $49.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $53.61. The company has a market capitalization of $800.47 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.55 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.52.

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

Unitil Dividend Announcement

The business 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 14th. Unitil's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.86%.

Institutional Trading of Unitil

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UTL. Allianz Asset Management GmbH bought a new position in Unitil during the first quarter valued at approximately $306,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Unitil by 32.1% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 7,531 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $434,000 after purchasing an additional 1,828 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of Unitil by 11.8% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 186,079 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $10,084,000 after purchasing an additional 19,631 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. bought a new position in shares of Unitil in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $485,000. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of Unitil in the first quarter valued at approximately $220,000. 76.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Unitil

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.

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