Unitil Co. (NYSE:UTL) Short Interest Update

Unitil Co. (NYSE:UTL) saw a large decrease in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 145,100 shares, a decrease of 31.3% from the February 13th total of 211,300 shares. Currently, 0.9% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 62,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days.

Unitil Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of UTL traded up $0.14 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $56.41. 49,358 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 56,860. The stock has a market cap of $916.40 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.25 and a beta of 0.60. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $54.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $57.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. Unitil has a twelve month low of $47.40 and a twelve month high of $63.52.

Unitil Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 13th were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.19%. This is an increase from Unitil’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 13th. Unitil’s dividend payout ratio is presently 61.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Institutional Trading of Unitil

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unitil by 798.2% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 512 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 455 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its position in Unitil by 8,333.3% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,024 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $110,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Millburn Ridgefield Corp acquired a new position in Unitil during the third quarter valued at approximately $137,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Unitil during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $166,000. Finally, Lido Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Unitil in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $221,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.76% of the company’s stock.

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.