UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the five brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $44.50.

UGI has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded UGI from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $45.00 target price on shares of UGI in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Weiss Ratings raised UGI from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. UBS Group reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of UGI in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price objective on UGI from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other UGI news, CAO Jean Felix Tematio sold 12,840 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.07, for a total value of $488,818.80. Following 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Joseph L. Hartz sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.45, for a total transaction of $192,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 33,492 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,287,767.40. The trade was a 12.99% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.57% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UGI

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its position in shares of UGI by 34,940.4% during the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,576,169 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $93,824,000 after buying an additional 2,568,817 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp raised its stake in UGI by 170.3% during the second quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 2,470,299 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $89,968,000 after acquiring an additional 1,556,273 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of UGI by 385.0% during the second quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 164,791 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,002,000 after acquiring an additional 130,811 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of UGI by 14.3% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 930,787 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $30,781,000 after purchasing an additional 116,372 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in shares of UGI by 17.2% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 785,327 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,971,000 after purchasing an additional 115,409 shares in the last quarter. 82.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

UGI Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of UGI stock opened at $37.41 on Friday. UGI has a 12 month low of $29.03 and a 12 month high of $41.34. The company has a market cap of $8.03 billion, a PE ratio of 13.81 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The business’s 50 day moving average is $38.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $35.97.

UGI (NYSE:UGI) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). UGI had a return on equity of 14.46% and a net margin of 8.17%.The firm had revenue of $2.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.49 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.37 earnings per share. UGI’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that UGI will post 3.02 EPS for the current year.

UGI Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. UGI’s dividend payout ratio is presently 55.35%.

Key Headlines Impacting UGI

Here are the key news stories impacting UGI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Customer bills are increasing next month, which should raise near‑term cash flow and revenue for UGI’s regulated gas business. UGI gas bills go up Sunday – here’s what to expect
• Neutral Sentiment: Company messaging frames the upcoming bill increases as smaller than they could have been — a mixed signal: revenue rises but regulatory moderation limits upside and reduces volatility that might have hit customers/PR. UGI bills will rise next month, but the company claims it could have been worse
• Negative Sentiment: Pennsylvania regulators have suspended and restructured UGI’s rate case, creating timing and recovery uncertainty that could delay rate relief and compress near‑term margins for the utility segment. What UGI (UGI)’s Pa. Rate Case Suspension and Restructuring Shift Means For Shareholders
• Negative Sentiment: Regulators capped the pass‑through increase UGI can collect for gas supply costs, limiting the company’s ability to fully recover higher commodity costs and potentially pressuring margins or requiring catch‑ups later. Regulators cap UGI gas supply cost increase, company says
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research cut Q1 and near‑term EPS estimates for UGI (multiple downward revisions to Q1, Q2 and FY forecasts). Analyst downgrades reduce near‑term earnings expectations and can weigh on the stock until guidance or results show recovery.

UGI Company Profile

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.