StockNews.com Lowers UGI (NYSE:UGI) to Hold

StockNews.com downgraded shares of UGI (NYSE:UGI) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report published on Thursday.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on UGI. TheStreet upgraded shares of UGI from a d+ rating to a c- rating in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of UGI from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of UGI from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and upped their target price for the company from $27.00 to $28.00 in a report on Thursday, March 14th.

UGI Stock Performance

NYSE UGI opened at $23.79 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59. UGI has a 52 week low of $20.19 and a 52 week high of $35.18. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $24.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $23.18.

UGI (NYSE:UGI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.08. UGI had a negative net margin of 5.48% and a positive return on equity of 14.09%. The business had revenue of $2.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.98 billion. Sell-side analysts predict that UGI will post 2.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UGI Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were given a $0.375 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.31%. UGI’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -68.18%.

Institutional Trading of UGI

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. State of Michigan Retirement System raised its position in UGI by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 51,458 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,263,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new position in UGI during the 1st quarter worth $665,000. Occidental Asset Management LLC raised its position in UGI by 8.0% during the 1st quarter. Occidental Asset Management LLC now owns 62,999 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,546,000 after buying an additional 4,690 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in UGI by 25.2% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 22,844 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $561,000 after buying an additional 4,597 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Assets Advisory LLC purchased a new position in UGI during the 1st quarter worth $366,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.34% of the company’s stock.

UGI Company Profile

UGI Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, distributes, stores, transports, and markets energy products and related services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through four segments: AmeriGas Propane, UGI International, Midstream & Marketing, and UGI Utilities. It distributes propane to approximately 1.3 million residential, commercial/industrial, motor fuel, agricultural, and wholesale customers through 1,400 propane distribution locations.