Principal Financial Group Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Unitil Co. (NYSE:UTL)

Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Unitil Co. (NYSE:UTL) by 2.1% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 81,392 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,659 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Unitil were worth $4,931,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in shares of Unitil by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 492,473 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,505,000 after acquiring an additional 2,891 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in Unitil by 0.9% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 464,851 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $24,075,000 after purchasing an additional 4,100 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Unitil by 1.3% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 442,132 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $22,898,000 after purchasing an additional 5,790 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp boosted its holdings in Unitil by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 403,482 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $20,896,000 after purchasing an additional 4,224 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Unitil by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 81,960 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,291,000 after buying an additional 2,513 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.76% of the company’s stock.

Unitil Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of Unitil stock opened at $59.27 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $59.22 and a 200 day moving average of $56.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $959.52 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.23 and a beta of 0.61. Unitil Co. has a fifty-two week low of $45.26 and a fifty-two week high of $63.52.

Unitil Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th will be issued a $0.425 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $1.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.87%. Unitil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.02%.

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.