WINTON GROUP Ltd Buys 1,277 Shares of Unitil Co. (NYSE:UTL)

WINTON GROUP Ltd lifted its position in Unitil Co. (NYSE:UTL) by 7.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 19,148 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,277 shares during the quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd’s holdings in Unitil were worth $1,038,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. US Bancorp DE increased its stake in Unitil by 8,333.3% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Millburn Ridgefield Corp bought a new stake in Unitil in the third quarter worth $137,000. Centiva Capital LP purchased a new stake in Unitil during the third quarter valued at $271,000. ClearAlpha Technologies LP bought a new position in Unitil during the third quarter valued at $301,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Unitil by 14.2% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 5,703 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $309,000 after buying an additional 709 shares in the last quarter. 76.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unitil Stock Up 2.6 %

Shares of UTL opened at $57.98 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The business has a fifty day moving average of $55.36 and a 200 day moving average of $56.89. The company has a market cap of $941.98 million, a PE ratio of 19.79 and a beta of 0.60. Unitil Co. has a 52-week low of $47.40 and a 52-week high of $63.52.

Unitil Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 13th were paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 13th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.10%. This is an increase from Unitil’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Unitil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $55.00 price objective on shares of Unitil in a research note 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.