Unitil (NYSE:UTL) Stock Price Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Unitil Corporation (NYSE:UTL) crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $50.76 and traded as high as $51.89. Unitil shares last traded at $51.8070, with a volume of 59,875 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on UTL shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Unitil from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Scotiabank began coverage on Unitil in a research report on Friday, April 10th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $57.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Unitil in a report on Monday, May 11th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $56.00 price objective for the company. Zacks Research upgraded Unitil to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Freedom Capital downgraded Unitil from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $56.50.

Unitil Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $932.01 million, a P/E ratio of 16.39 and a beta of 0.33. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $52.27 and a 200-day moving average of $50.76.

Unitil (NYSE:UTL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $216.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $179.13 million. Unitil had a return on equity of 9.89% and a net margin of 9.60%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Unitil Corporation will post 3.31 EPS for the current year.

Unitil Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.475 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. Unitil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.13%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Unitil by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,538,652 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $74,532,000 after purchasing an additional 67,456 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in Unitil by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 721,277 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,939,000 after purchasing an additional 31,186 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in Unitil by 17.8% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 717,423 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $37,414,000 after purchasing an additional 108,254 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Unitil by 2.5% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 608,084 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,103,000 after purchasing an additional 14,894 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Unitil by 94.0% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 601,260 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,125,000 after purchasing an additional 291,325 shares in the last quarter. 76.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Unitil

Unitil Corporation (NYSE: UTL) is a publicly traded energy delivery company that provides regulated electric and natural gas distribution services. The company delivers energy to residential, commercial and industrial customers through a network of distribution systems, offering safe and reliable service across its service areas. Unitil’s operations include system maintenance, emergency response, meter reading and customer support functions, all governed by state regulatory commissions.

Headquartered in Hampton, New Hampshire, Unitil serves communities in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine.