Allianz Asset Management GmbH Makes New $306,000 Investment in Unitil Corporation (NYSE:UTL)

Allianz Asset Management GmbH acquired a new position in shares of Unitil Corporation (NYSE:UTL) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 5,300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $306,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northern Trust Corp raised 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 worth $10,084,000 after buying an additional 19,631 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in Unitil during the 4th quarter worth about $485,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Unitil by 3.0% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 86,782 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,006,000 after buying an additional 2,505 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in Unitil by 1,011.0% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 52,661 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,854,000 after buying an additional 47,921 shares during the period. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in Unitil by 17.9% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 30,392 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,647,000 after buying an additional 4,618 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.76% of the company’s stock.

Unitil Price Performance

NYSE UTL opened at $51.82 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $52.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $54.79. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The company has a market cap of $842.59 million, a PE ratio of 17.69 and a beta of 0.66. Unitil Corporation has a 1 year low of $50.34 and a 1 year high of $63.52.

Unitil (NYSE:UTL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.74 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $207.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $193.03 million. Unitil had a net margin of 9.74% and a return on equity of 9.49%. On average, analysts predict 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. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 14th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 14th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Unitil’s dividend payout ratio is currently 61.43%.

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.