Tudor Investment Corp ET AL Purchases 41,490 Shares of Unitil Corporation $UTL

Tudor Investment Corp ET AL raised its holdings in shares of Unitil Corporation (NYSE:UTL) by 85.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 89,862 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 41,490 shares during the period. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL owned about 0.50% of Unitil worth $4,301,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Unitil in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its holdings in Unitil by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 27,372 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,296,000 after acquiring an additional 2,347 shares during the period. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. bought a new position in Unitil in the 3rd quarter valued at $2,872,000. Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new position in Unitil in the 3rd quarter valued at $200,000. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC increased its stake in Unitil by 97.8% in the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 17,889 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $856,000 after purchasing an additional 8,843 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.76% of the company’s stock.

Unitil Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:UTL opened at $52.24 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $51.53 and its 200 day moving average is $49.39. The stock has a market cap of $939.35 million, a P/E ratio of 17.41 and a beta of 0.48. Unitil Corporation has a 52-week low of $44.61 and a 52-week high of $59.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

Unitil (NYSE:UTL) last issued its earnings results 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. Unitil had a return on equity of 9.38% and a net margin of 9.37%.The business had revenue of $161.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $144.45 million. Sell-side analysts predict that Unitil Corporation will post 3.08 EPS for the current year.

Unitil Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 12th were paid a $0.475 dividend. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. This is a boost from Unitil’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 12th. Unitil’s payout ratio is currently 63.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UTL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Unitil from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Unitil in a report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

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.