Unitil (NYSE:UTL) Sets New 12-Month Low - Here's Why

Key Points

• Unitil Corporation's share price reached a new 52-week low at $46.14, down from a closing price of $46.96 previously.
• The company reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $0.29, exceeding the consensus estimate of $0.28, with revenue matching expectations at $101 million.
• Unitil announced a quarterly dividend of $0.45, with a current yield of 3.9%, indicating a payout ratio of 61.86%.

Unitil Corporation (NYSE:UTL - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $46.17 and last traded at $46.14, with a volume of 23354 shares. The stock had previously closed at $46.96.

Unitil Trading Up 0.6%

The business has a 50 day moving average of $49.98 and a 200-day moving average of $53.73. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $814.96 million, a P/E ratio of 15.82 and a beta of 0.68.

Unitil (NYSE:UTL - Get Free Report) last posted 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. Analysts anticipate that Unitil Corporation will post 3.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unitil Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 14th were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend 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%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unitil

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UTL. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in shares of Unitil by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 11,884 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $644,000 after acquiring an additional 945 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted 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 purchasing an additional 19,631 shares during the last quarter. Comerica Bank lifted its holdings in Unitil by 23.1% during the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 18,643 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,010,000 after purchasing an additional 3,504 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in Unitil by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 77,382 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,193,000 after purchasing an additional 6,117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DC Investments Management LLC acquired a new stake in Unitil during the 4th quarter valued at $247,000. 76.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.