Teacher Retirement System of Texas Acquires 1,314 Shares of Unitil Co. (NYSE:UTL)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its holdings in Unitil Co. (NYSE:UTL) by 11.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,900 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,314 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas owned approximately 0.08% of Unitil worth $678,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Unitil by 8.1% in the third quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 11,561 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $494,000 after buying an additional 866 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates boosted its position in shares of Unitil by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 25,104 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,072,000 after acquiring an additional 909 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in shares of Unitil by 158.0% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 84,339 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,602,000 after purchasing an additional 51,655 shares in the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund bought a new stake in Unitil in the third quarter worth $409,000. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its stake in Unitil by 3.5% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 19,442 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $830,000 after purchasing an additional 657 shares in the last quarter. 76.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unitil Price Performance

UTL stock opened at $51.49 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $51.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $50.72. Unitil Co. has a 52 week low of $41.43 and a 52 week high of $55.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $832.59 million, a P/E ratio of 17.16 and a beta of 0.58.

Unitil Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 16th will be given a $0.425 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $1.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.30%. Unitil’s dividend payout ratio is currently 56.67%.

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.