Unitil (NYSE:UTL) Lowered to “Hold” Rating by Wall Street Zen

Unitil (NYSE:UTL) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Unitil in a report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Unitil Stock Performance

NYSE UTL opened at $52.40 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $942.10 million, a P/E ratio of 17.47 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $51.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $49.46. The company has a current ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. Unitil has a 12-month low of $44.61 and a 12-month high of $59.99.

Unitil (NYSE:UTL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $161.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $144.45 million. Unitil had a net margin of 9.37% and a return on equity of 9.38%. Sell-side analysts predict that Unitil will post 3.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Unitil in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in shares of Unitil by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 568 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Unitil during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Unitil in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Unitil in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. 76.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.