Unitil (NYSE:UTL) Hits New 52-Week Low - Should You Sell?

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)'s stock price hit 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 changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $52.13.

Unitil Stock Performance

The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $52.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $54.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.66. The company has a market capitalization of $818.06 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.27 and a beta of 0.66.

Unitil (NYSE:UTL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The utilities provider reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.01. Unitil had a net margin of 9.74% and a return on equity of 9.49%. The company had revenue of $101.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $101.00 million. Analysts expect that Unitil Corporation will post 3.08 EPS for the current year.

Unitil Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 14th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 14th. Unitil's dividend payout ratio is presently 61.43%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unitil

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Unitil by 11.8% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 186,079 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $10,084,000 after buying an additional 19,631 shares during the last quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. bought a new stake in Unitil during the fourth quarter valued at about $485,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in Unitil during the first quarter valued at about $220,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH bought a new stake in Unitil during the first quarter valued at about $306,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 2,505 shares during the period. 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.

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