Unitil (NYSE:UTL) Stock Price Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

Shares of Unitil Corporation (NYSE:UTL) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $49.30 and traded as high as $50.17. Unitil shares last traded at $47.9320, with a volume of 580,641 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on UTL. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Unitil in a research report on Monday. Wall Street Zen cut Unitil from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $55.00.

Unitil Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $858.94 million, a P/E ratio of 16.59 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The company’s 50-day moving average is $48.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $49.30.

Unitil (NYSE:UTL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 3rd. The utilities provider reported $0.03 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.03) by $0.06. Unitil had a return on equity of 9.04% and a net margin of 9.32%.The firm had revenue of $101.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $100.40 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that Unitil Corporation will post 3.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unitil Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 13th were given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 13th. Unitil’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.28%.

Institutional Trading of Unitil

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UTL. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in shares of Unitil by 100.0% in the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 568 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 284 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in Unitil in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Addison Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Unitil in the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Unitil during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unitil by 45.8% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 882 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 277 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.76% of the company’s stock.

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.