UL Solutions Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:ULS)

UL Solutions Inc. (NYSE:ULS) saw some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Traders acquired 2,251 put options on the company. This represents an increase of 445% compared to the typical daily volume of 413 put options.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UL Solutions

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. TD Private Client Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in UL Solutions in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,681,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in shares of UL Solutions during the third quarter worth about $97,803,000. Voya Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UL Solutions in the third quarter worth about $24,627,000. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co grew its stake in shares of UL Solutions by 26.4% in the second quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 13,823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,007,000 after buying an additional 2,884 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vest Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of UL Solutions by 122.7% during the 2nd quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 34,795 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,535,000 after buying an additional 19,172 shares during the period.

UL Solutions Price Performance

Shares of ULS opened at $72.85 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $14.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.62 and a beta of 1.09. UL Solutions has a fifty-two week low of $49.34 and a fifty-two week high of $91.95. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $81.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $74.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.33.

UL Solutions (NYSE:ULS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.47 by $0.09. UL Solutions had a return on equity of 34.49% and a net margin of 11.29%.The company had revenue of $783.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $769.01 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.49 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that UL Solutions will post 1.69 earnings per share for the current year.

UL Solutions Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 8th. Investors of record on Friday, November 28th were given a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 28th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. UL Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on ULS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $84.00 price objective (up previously from $70.00) on shares of UL Solutions in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on UL Solutions from $77.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of UL Solutions from $69.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of UL Solutions in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of UL Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, UL Solutions has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $83.57.

About UL Solutions

UL Solutions (NYSE: ULS) is a global safety science company that provides testing, inspection, certification, advisory and digital solutions designed to help organizations manage risk, ensure regulatory compliance and drive innovation. With roots dating back to 1894 when it was founded as Underwriters’ Electrical Bureau, the company rebranded as UL Solutions following its initial public offering in 2022. Headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, UL Solutions operates independently to serve a broad range of industries with an emphasis on product safety, performance and sustainability.

The company’s core services include standards development, product testing and certification for sectors such as building products, consumer electronics, automotive, life sciences, energy and industrial equipment.