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

Unitil Corporation (NYSE:UTL)’s share price crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $48.91 and traded as high as $49.20. Unitil shares last traded at $48.6130, with a volume of 86,859 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Unitil in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Unitil from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Unitil currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $55.00.

Unitil Stock Down 0.3%

The company has a market cap of $871.14 million, a P/E ratio of 16.82 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $48.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $48.91.

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 net margin of 9.32% and a return on equity of 9.04%. The firm had revenue of $101.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $100.40 million. Equities research analysts forecast that Unitil Corporation will post 3.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Unitil Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 13th were issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 13th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. Unitil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.28%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in shares of Unitil by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 568 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 284 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in Unitil in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in Unitil during the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Addison Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Unitil during the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its position in Unitil by 45.8% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 882 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the period. 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.