UGI (NYSE:UGI) Shares Cross Above 200-Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) shares passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $35.91 and traded as high as $38.64. UGI shares last traded at $38.3180, with a volume of 1,182,651 shares traded.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UGI has been the subject of several research reports. Wall Street Zen cut UGI from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 22nd. UBS Group reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of UGI in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of UGI from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of UGI from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $45.00 price target on shares of UGI in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, UGI currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $44.50.

UGI Stock Down 0.2%

The stock has a market cap of $8.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.14 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $38.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $35.91.

UGI (NYSE:UGI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.50 by ($0.24). The firm had revenue of $2.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.49 billion. UGI had a return on equity of 14.46% and a net margin of 8.17%.UGI’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.37 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that UGI Corporation will post 3.02 EPS for the current year.

UGI Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. UGI’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.35%.

Insider Buying and Selling at UGI

In other news, CAO Jean Felix Tematio sold 12,840 shares of UGI stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.07, for a total value of $488,818.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 6,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $264,662.64. The trade was a 64.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph L. Hartz sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.45, for a total value of $192,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 33,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,287,767.40. The trade was a 12.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 32,840 shares of company stock worth $1,261,269 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UGI

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Waterloo Capital L.P. increased its position in UGI by 30.4% during the second quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. now owns 79,302 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,888,000 after purchasing an additional 18,508 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of UGI by 26.7% during the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 208,815 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,945,000 after buying an additional 44,024 shares during the period. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of UGI during the 2nd quarter worth $86,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp raised its position in shares of UGI by 170.3% in the 2nd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 2,470,299 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $89,968,000 after buying an additional 1,556,273 shares during the period. Finally, Foster & Motley Inc. boosted its holdings in UGI by 10.6% in the third quarter. Foster & Motley Inc. now owns 145,008 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,823,000 after acquiring an additional 13,892 shares during the last quarter. 82.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About UGI

UGI Corporation (NYSE: UGI) is a publicly traded energy distribution company headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1882 as the United Gas Improvement Company, UGI has grown into a diversified provider of energy products and services. The company’s operations are organized into three primary segments—AmeriGas Propane, UGI Utilities and UGI International—each focused on the delivery of propane, natural gas and related services to residential, commercial and industrial customers.

AmeriGas Propane, UGI’s largest segment, is the leading retail propane distributor in the United States with a network of dealers serving customers in all 50 states.