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

Key Points

• Unitil Corporation's share price has reached a new 52-week low of $47.05 during trading, closing at $48.21 with a trading volume of 15,402 shares.
• The company reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.29 for the last quarter, slightly exceeding analysts' expectations of $0.28, and its revenue totaled $101 million, aligning with forecasts.
• Unitil announced a quarterly dividend of $0.45 to be paid on August 28th, which translates to an annualized dividend of $1.80 and a dividend yield of 3.7%.

Unitil Corporation (NYSE:UTL - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $47.05 and last traded at $48.21, with a volume of 15402 shares. The stock had previously closed at $49.12.

Unitil Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $784.46 million, a P/E ratio of 16.56 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.52. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $51.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $54.54.

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

Unitil Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 14th will be given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 14th. Unitil's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.86%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unitil

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Unitil in the 1st quarter worth approximately $7,457,000. CSM Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unitil during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $6,644,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in shares of Unitil by 17.8% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 717,423 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $37,414,000 after buying an additional 108,254 shares in the last quarter. Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC lifted its position in shares of Unitil by 38.9% during the 2nd quarter. Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC now owns 360,894 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $18,821,000 after buying an additional 101,114 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Unitil by 6.4% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,365,282 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $78,763,000 after buying an additional 82,137 shares in the last quarter. 76.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.

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