Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

Shares of Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULH) gapped up before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $19.99, but opened at $21.22. Universal Logistics shares last traded at $20.9210, with a volume of 2,868 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on ULH shares. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Universal Logistics from $18.00 to $17.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Zacks Research raised Universal Logistics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Universal Logistics from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Universal Logistics in a research note on Friday, March 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Universal Logistics has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $17.00.

Universal Logistics Trading Up 3.5%

The business has a 50 day moving average of $17.21 and a 200-day moving average of $17.56. The stock has a market cap of $576.54 million, a PE ratio of -10.18 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26.

Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, March 13th. The transportation company reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $376.10 million. On average, analysts anticipate that Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. will post 2.81 EPS for the current year.

Universal Logistics Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, March 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.105 per share. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 23rd. Universal Logistics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -19.53%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ULH. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of Universal Logistics by 102.3% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,428 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 722 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Universal Logistics by 1.8% in the third quarter. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC now owns 49,506 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,160,000 after buying an additional 875 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Universal Logistics by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 10,557 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $160,000 after buying an additional 1,019 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new position in shares of Universal Logistics during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Universal Logistics by 7.1% during the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 20,569 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $520,000 after acquiring an additional 1,361 shares during the last quarter. 25.50% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.