Unitil (NYSE:UTL) Raised to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Unitil (NYSE:UTL) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Sunday.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Unitil in a report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unitil presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Unitil Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of Unitil stock opened at $53.24 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $957.50 million, a P/E ratio of 17.75 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $51.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $49.83. Unitil has a 12-month low of $44.61 and a 12-month high of $59.99.

Unitil (NYSE:UTL) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $161.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $144.45 million. Unitil had a return on equity of 9.38% and a net margin of 9.37%. Equities analysts expect that Unitil will post 3.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of UTL. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unitil during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in shares of Unitil by 100.0% during the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 568 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 284 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unitil in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Unitil in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Unitil in the third quarter valued at $32,000. 76.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Unitil

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.