Otter Tail (NASDAQ:OTTR) Reaches New 12-Month Low – What’s Next?

Otter Tail Co. (NASDAQ:OTTR) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $73.22 and last traded at $73.41, with a volume of 43312 shares. The stock had previously closed at $73.84.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Otter Tail from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Siebert Williams Shank raised Otter Tail from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th.

Otter Tail Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $3.06 billion, a PE ratio of 10.11 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a current ratio of 2.17. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $78.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $82.65.

Otter Tail (NASDAQ:OTTR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.97 by $0.06. Otter Tail had a net margin of 22.70% and a return on equity of 19.84%. The firm had revenue of $338.03 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $362.20 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.19 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Otter Tail Co. will post 7.13 EPS for the current year.

Otter Tail Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th were paid a $0.468 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.56%. Otter Tail’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.83%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Otter Tail

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. GSA Capital Partners LLP increased its holdings in shares of Otter Tail by 285.1% in the 3rd quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 19,030 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,487,000 after purchasing an additional 14,089 shares in the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in Otter Tail in the third quarter valued at about $589,000. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Otter Tail during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $683,000. Quest Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Otter Tail by 178,816.7% during the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 10,735 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $940,000 after acquiring an additional 10,729 shares during the period. Finally, Savant Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Otter Tail during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $627,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.32% of the company’s stock.

Otter Tail Company Profile

Otter Tail Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in electric utility, manufacturing, and plastic pipe businesses in the United States. It operates through three segments: Electric, Manufacturing, and Plastics. The Electric segment produces, transmits, distributes, and sells electric energy in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota; and operates as a participant in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator markets.