Sei Investments Co. Reduces Stake in Unitil Co. (NYSE:UTL)

Sei Investments Co. lessened its position in shares of Unitil Co. (NYSE:UTL) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 102,910 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,454 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co.’s holdings in Unitil were worth $5,577,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. US Bancorp DE boosted its stake 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 worth $110,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. Millburn Ridgefield Corp purchased a new stake in Unitil in the third quarter worth about $137,000. Centiva Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Unitil in the third quarter worth about $271,000. ClearAlpha Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Unitil during the 3rd quarter valued at about $301,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 709 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.76% of the company’s stock.

Unitil Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE UTL opened at $58.56 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $951.33 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.99 and a beta of 0.60. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average price is $55.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $56.84. Unitil Co. has a 12-month low of $47.40 and a 12-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 paid a $0.45 dividend. This is a positive change from Unitil’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 13th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.07%. Unitil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $55.00 price target on shares of Unitil in a research report 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.