49,317 Shares in Unitil Co. (NYSE:UTL) Acquired by Wernau Asset Management Inc.

Wernau Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Unitil Co. (NYSE:UTL) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 49,317 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,673,000. Unitil accounts for about 2.0% of Wernau Asset Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Wernau Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 0.30% of Unitil at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. US Bancorp DE increased its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Millburn Ridgefield Corp bought a new stake in Unitil during the third quarter valued at $137,000. Centiva Capital LP acquired a new stake in Unitil during the 3rd quarter worth about $271,000. ClearAlpha Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Unitil in the 3rd quarter worth about $301,000. Finally, Meritage Portfolio Management lifted its stake in shares of Unitil by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management now owns 5,800 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $351,000 after purchasing an additional 482 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.76% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Unitil Stock Up 1.5 %

Unitil stock opened at $55.97 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $909.22 million, a PE ratio of 19.10 and a beta of 0.63. Unitil Co. has a 12-month low of $47.40 and a 12-month high of $63.52. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $54.45 and its 200 day moving average is $57.34. 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 Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 13th were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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%.

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.