Unitil Co. (NYSE:UTL) Shares Sold by ProShare Advisors LLC

ProShare Advisors LLC cut its stake in shares of Unitil Co. (NYSE:UTL) by 43.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 139,116 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 109,070 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.86% of Unitil worth $7,539,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Unitil by 798.2% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 512 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 455 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in shares of Unitil by 8,333.3% during the fourth 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 period. Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unitil in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $166,000. Lido Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Unitil in the 4th quarter worth approximately $221,000. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC purchased a new position in Unitil during the 4th quarter worth approximately $244,000. 76.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unitil Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE UTL opened at $54.44 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. Unitil Co. has a one year low of $48.94 and a one year high of $63.52. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $56.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $56.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $884.62 million, a PE ratio of 18.58 and a beta of 0.67.

Unitil (NYSE:UTL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by ($0.04). Unitil had a return on equity of 9.36% and a net margin of 9.52%. The company had revenue of $207.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $193.03 million. As a group, analysts predict that Unitil Co. will post 3.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unitil Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Unitil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.