Unitil (NYSE:UTL) Stock Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Shares of Unitil Corporation (NYSE:UTL) crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $51.16 and traded as high as $53.66. Unitil shares last traded at $52.40, with a volume of 574,198 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on UTL shares. Freedom Capital cut Unitil from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Unitil to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Scotiabank started coverage on shares of Unitil in a report on Friday, April 10th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $57.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Unitil in a research report on Monday, May 11th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $56.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Unitil from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Unitil presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $56.50.

Unitil Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $942.68 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.58 and a beta of 0.32. 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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $51.41 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $51.16.

Unitil (NYSE:UTL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.02. Unitil had a return on equity of 9.89% and a net margin of 9.60%.The firm had revenue of $216.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $179.13 million. As a group, research analysts predict that Unitil Corporation will post 3.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unitil Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th were issued a $0.475 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. Unitil’s dividend payout ratio is 60.13%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UTL. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Unitil by 37.0% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 12,083 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $697,000 after acquiring an additional 3,263 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in Unitil by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 9,478 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $547,000 after acquiring an additional 391 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Unitil by 64.6% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 86,678 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,000,000 after purchasing an additional 34,017 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in shares of Unitil by 18.6% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 67,293 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,882,000 after purchasing an additional 10,572 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unitil by 63.3% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 33,529 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,934,000 after purchasing an additional 13,000 shares in the last quarter. 76.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unitil Company Profile

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.