Amundi Raises Position in Unitil Co. (NYSE:UTL)

Amundi boosted its stake in Unitil Co. (NYSE:UTL) by 183.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,875 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,095 shares during the quarter. Amundi’s holdings in Unitil were worth $414,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in Unitil by 8,333.3% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,024 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $110,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. Millburn Ridgefield Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Unitil during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $137,000. Centiva Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Unitil during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $271,000. ClearAlpha Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of Unitil during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $301,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Unitil by 14.2% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 5,703 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $309,000 after buying an additional 709 shares during the last quarter. 76.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of Unitil in a report on Wednesday, February 12th.

Unitil Stock Performance

Shares of UTL stock opened at $56.33 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. Unitil Co. has a 52 week low of $47.40 and a 52 week high of $63.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $915.12 million, a PE ratio of 19.22 and a beta of 0.60. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $55.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $57.03.

Unitil Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 13th were given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 13th. This is a boost from Unitil’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Unitil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.43%.

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.