Unitil (NYSE:UTL) Hits New 12-Month Low - What's Next?

Key Points

• Unitil Corporation's stock price has reached a new 52-week low of $50.12 during mid-day trading, closing at $50.96.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share, providing a yield of 3.6%, with the payment set for August 28th.
• Hedge funds are actively trading Unitil shares, with a notable increase in holdings by Northern Trust Corp, boosting their position by 11.8% in the fourth quarter.

Unitil Corporation (NYSE:UTL - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $50.12 and last traded at $50.96, with a volume of 14950 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $52.13.

Unitil Trading Up 1.0%

The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $51.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $54.63. The firm has a market cap of $808.91 million, a PE ratio of 17.06 and a beta of 0.66.

Unitil (NYSE:UTL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The utilities provider reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $101.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $101.00 million. Equities analysts forecast that Unitil Corporation will post 3.08 EPS for the current year.

Unitil Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 14th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 14th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. Unitil's payout ratio is presently 61.86%.

Institutional Trading of Unitil

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Allianz Asset Management GmbH bought a new stake in Unitil during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $306,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Unitil by 11.8% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 186,079 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $10,084,000 after buying an additional 19,631 shares in the last quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in Unitil during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $485,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in Unitil during the first quarter valued at approximately $220,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Unitil by 3.0% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 86,782 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $5,006,000 after purchasing an additional 2,505 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.76% of the company's stock.

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.