United Utilities Group PLC (LON:UU) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of United Utilities Group PLC (LON:UU) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the seven analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is GBX 1,431.43.

A number of brokerages have commented on UU. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of United Utilities Group from £152.50 to GBX 1,340 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised United Utilities Group to a “sector perform” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from GBX 1,450 to GBX 1,550 in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on United Utilities Group from GBX 1,450 to GBX 1,550 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on United Utilities Group from GBX 1,300 to GBX 1,450 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a GBX 1,320 target price on shares of United Utilities Group in a research note on Thursday, April 30th.

United Utilities Group Stock Performance

Shares of LON UU opened at GBX 1,375 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of GBX 1,330.45 and a 200 day moving average price of GBX 1,313.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 2.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 512.65. The firm has a market cap of £9.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 74.22, a P/E/G ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 0.58.

United Utilities Group (LON:UU) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported GBX 107.10 earnings per share for the quarter. United Utilities Group had a net margin of 22.43% and a return on equity of 27.72%. The company had revenue of GBX 261.63 billion during the quarter. Analysts forecast that United Utilities Group will post 50.9730539 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other United Utilities Group news, insider Phil Aspin sold 24,566 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 1,306, for a total transaction of £320,831.96. In the last quarter, insiders purchased 38 shares of company stock worth $51,768. 0.05% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About United Utilities Group

United Utilities Group PLC provides water and wastewater services in the United Kingdom. It is involved in the renewable energy generation, corporate trustee, financing, and property management activities; and provision of consulting, and project management services. The company operates 43,000 kilometers of water pipes; and 79,000 kilometers of wastewater pipes. United Utilities Group PLC was incorporated in 2008 and is based in Warrington, the United Kingdom.