Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) Raised to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Friday morning.

Separately, Stifel Nicolaus upgraded shares of Universal Logistics from a hold rating to a buy rating and raised their target price for the company from $35.00 to $36.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th.

Universal Logistics Trading Up 39.4 %

Universal Logistics stock opened at $45.84 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $34.70 and a 200-day moving average of $29.65. Universal Logistics has a one year low of $20.85 and a one year high of $48.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.39. The company has a market cap of $1.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.01 and a beta of 1.08.

Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The transportation company reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.71 by $0.10. Universal Logistics had a net margin of 7.02% and a return on equity of 23.60%. The business had revenue of $390.92 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $377.30 million. On average, equities analysts expect that Universal Logistics will post 3.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Logistics Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 3rd will be issued a $0.105 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 3rd. This represents a $0.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.92%. Universal Logistics’s dividend payout ratio is currently 9.17%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Quadrature Capital Ltd raised its holdings in Universal Logistics by 8.3% in the 4th quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 10,862 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $304,000 after acquiring an additional 834 shares during the period. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Universal Logistics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $470,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Universal Logistics by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 799,351 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $22,400,000 after purchasing an additional 12,826 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Universal Logistics by 12.4% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 65,244 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,828,000 after purchasing an additional 7,204 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Universal Logistics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $110,000. 25.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Universal Logistics

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc provides transportation and logistics solutions in the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Colombia. The company offers truckload services, which include dry van, flatbed, heavy-haul, and refrigerated operations; domestic and international freight forwarding, and customs brokerage services.