UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $43.3333.

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of UGI in a research note on Monday, May 11th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $46.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $40.00 price objective (down from $45.00) on shares of UGI in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded UGI from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, June 12th.

UGI Stock Performance

UGI stock opened at $35.15 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $34.83 and a 200-day moving average of $36.65. UGI has a 1 year low of $31.62 and a 1 year high of $41.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The company has a market capitalization of $7.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.33 and a beta of 0.93.

UGI (NYSE:UGI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by ($0.02). UGI had a net margin of 8.71% and a return on equity of 13.81%. The business had revenue of $2.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.21 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that UGI will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

UGI Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. UGI’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.63%.

Insider Activity at UGI

In related news, insider Kathleen Shea-Ballay sold 25,360 shares of UGI stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.62, for a total value of $852,603.20. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 25,360 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $852,603.20. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UGI. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in shares of UGI by 9.2% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 78,715 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,603,000 after buying an additional 6,649 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in UGI by 14.3% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 930,787 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $30,781,000 after buying an additional 116,372 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in UGI by 17.2% during the first 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 acquiring an additional 115,409 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its holdings in UGI by 92.6% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 22,584 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $747,000 after acquiring an additional 10,861 shares during the period. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in UGI by 15.6% during the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 28,359 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,033,000 after acquiring an additional 3,825 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 82.34% of the company’s stock.

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.