Great Lakes Advisors LLC Sells 18,031 Shares of Unitil Co. (NYSE:UTL)

Great Lakes Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of Unitil Co. (NYSE:UTL) by 20.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 69,114 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 18,031 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.43% of Unitil worth $3,745,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Unitil by 8,333.3% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,024 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $110,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. Millburn Ridgefield Corp acquired a new position in shares of Unitil during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $137,000. Centiva Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Unitil during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $271,000. ClearAlpha Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of Unitil during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $301,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Unitil by 14.2% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 5,703 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $309,000 after acquiring an additional 709 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.76% of the company’s stock.

Unitil Stock Up 2.0 %

UTL opened at $56.28 on Friday. Unitil Co. has a 1-year low of $47.40 and a 1-year high of $63.52. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $54.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $57.14. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The stock has a market cap of $914.32 million, a PE ratio of 19.21 and a beta of 0.60.

Unitil Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 13th were paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 13th. This is a boost from Unitil’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Unitil’s dividend payout ratio is 61.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

About Unitil

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.