Unitil (NYSE:UTL) Shares Up 2% – Still a Buy?

Unitil Co. (NYSE:UTL) shares shot up 2% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $57.58 and last traded at $57.65. 5,750 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 90% from the average session volume of 57,566 shares. The stock had previously closed at $56.51.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $55.00 price objective on shares of Unitil in a report on Wednesday, February 12th.

Unitil Stock Up 3.0 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $945.92 million, a PE ratio of 19.87 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $55.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $56.90.

Unitil Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 13th were paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 13th. This is a positive change from Unitil’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.09%. Unitil’s dividend payout ratio is 61.43%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Unitil

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unitil by 798.2% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 512 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE increased its stake in shares of Unitil by 8,333.3% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,024 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $110,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Millburn Ridgefield Corp purchased a new position in shares of Unitil during the third quarter worth $137,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Unitil during the fourth quarter valued at $166,000. Finally, Lido Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Unitil during the fourth quarter worth about $221,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.76% of the company’s stock.

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.