UGI (NYSE:UGI) Stock Price Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI)’s stock price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $36.45 and traded as high as $37.01. UGI shares last traded at $36.8450, with a volume of 1,367,205 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on UGI in a report on Monday, May 11th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $46.00 target price on the stock. Zacks Research lowered shares of UGI from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of UGI from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $40.00 price objective (down from $45.00) on shares of UGI in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, UGI has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.33.

UGI Trading Up 1.0%

The business has a 50-day moving average of $35.08 and a 200-day moving average of $36.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market cap of $7.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.93 and a beta of 0.93.

UGI (NYSE:UGI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by ($0.02). UGI had a return on equity of 13.81% and a net margin of 8.71%.The firm had revenue of $2.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.08 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.21 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that UGI Corporation will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

UGI Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.1%. UGI’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 52.63%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Kathleen Shea-Ballay sold 25,360 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.62, for a total value of $852,603.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 25,360 shares in the company, valued at approximately $852,603.20. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UGI

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 6,649 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of UGI by 14.3% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 930,787 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $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 grew its stake in 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 buying an additional 115,409 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth raised its holdings in UGI by 92.6% in 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. boosted its holdings in UGI by 15.6% during the second quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 28,359 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,033,000 after acquiring an additional 3,825 shares during the period. 82.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.