Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) Shares Down 8.5% – Here’s Why

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULH)’s stock price fell 8.5% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $19.35 and last traded at $19.4310. 25,770 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 49% from the average session volume of 50,683 shares. The stock had previously closed at $21.23.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on ULH shares. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Universal Logistics from $18.00 to $17.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Universal Logistics from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Universal Logistics in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Universal Logistics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Universal Logistics has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $17.00.

Universal Logistics Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $526.74 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.30 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a 50-day moving average of $16.98 and a 200-day moving average of $17.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.20.

Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, March 13th. The transportation company reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.05) by $0.19. Universal Logistics had a positive return on equity of 4.13% and a negative net margin of 3.64%.The company had revenue of $385.43 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $376.10 million. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Logistics Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 23rd will be paid a $0.105 dividend. This represents a $0.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 23rd. Universal Logistics’s payout ratio is currently -19.53%.

Institutional Trading of Universal Logistics

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Logistics in the first quarter valued at about $789,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Universal Logistics by 5.0% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 108,268 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,841,000 after purchasing an additional 5,136 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Universal Logistics by 4.3% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 193,413 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $4,910,000 after purchasing an additional 8,039 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in Universal Logistics by 93.7% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 13,514 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $343,000 after purchasing an additional 6,538 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in Universal Logistics by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 262,597 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $6,665,000 after purchasing an additional 13,860 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 25.50% of the company’s stock.

Universal Logistics Company Profile

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc is a diversified, asset-light third-party logistics provider offering transportation and supply chain solutions across North America and around the globe. Its service portfolio encompasses truckload, less-than-truckload, intermodal, and specialized freight services, supported by dedicated brokerage, warehousing, and distribution management capabilities.

Originally incorporated as Universal Truckload Services, Inc, the company has evolved beyond its core truckload heritage to a one-stop logistics platform.