Principal Financial Group Inc. Acquires 1,659 Shares of Unitil Co. (NYSE:UTL)

Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Unitil Co. (NYSE:UTL) by 2.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 81,392 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,659 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.50% of Unitil worth $4,931,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unitil during the third quarter valued at approximately $5,827,000. State Street Corp boosted its position in Unitil by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 723,587 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $43,835,000 after buying an additional 41,511 shares during the period. Riverwater Partners LLC grew its holdings in Unitil by 276.9% in the 3rd quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC now owns 31,577 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,884,000 after acquiring an additional 23,200 shares during the last quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky raised its stake in shares of Unitil by 474.4% during the third quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 27,975 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,695,000 after acquiring an additional 23,105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Unitil during the third quarter worth about $1,400,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.76% of the company’s stock.

Unitil Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:UTL opened at $53.69 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $57.46 and its 200 day moving average is $57.54. The company has a market cap of $869.19 million, a PE ratio of 18.32 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.82. Unitil Co. has a 1 year low of $45.26 and a 1 year high of $63.52.

Unitil Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th were paid a $0.425 dividend. This represents a $1.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 14th. Unitil’s payout ratio is 58.02%.

Unitil Company Profile

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.