UTL

Unitil Corporation (UTL) Economic Moat Analysis (2026)

Invetso Score: 5/10 — Balanced · Last Updated: 2026-08-01

Overall Score

Profitability Returns

Margins remain solid with gross margin at 49.3% and operating margin at 19.0%, but return on invested capital is only 4.1%.

Return on equity is 9.1% and return on assets is 2.5%, indicating only modest capital efficiency despite healthy operating margins.

Balance Sheet Financial Flexibility

Leverage remains elevated with net debt to EBITDA at 4.5x and debt to equity at 1.49x.

Liquidity is weak with a current ratio of 0.49 and cash ratio of 0.02, though the company still generates positive operating cash flow.

Cash Flow Quality

Free cash flow remains negative at -$42.4M TTM and free cash flow yield is -4.6%.

Capital spending is heavy relative to operating cash flow, with capex to operating cash flow at 1.32x and capex to revenue at 31.6%.

Competitive Position

The business appears to have some pricing power, supported by a 49.3% gross margin and 19.0% operating margin.

However, the moat is not clearly strong because returns on capital remain modest and leverage/liquidity constraints limit strategic flexibility.

Sources

  • Company filings (10-K, 10-Q, investor presentations)
  • Financial and market data providers
  • Public news and industry information

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