Zacks Research Downgrades UGI (NYSE:UGI) to Strong Sell

UGI (NYSE:UGI) was downgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of UGI from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $40.00 price target (down from $45.00) on shares of UGI in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of UGI in a research note on Monday, May 11th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $46.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, UGI currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.33.

UGI Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UGI opened at $36.27 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $34.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $36.50. UGI has a 52 week low of $31.62 and a 52 week high of $41.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.77 billion, a PE ratio of 12.72 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 net margin of 8.71% and a return on equity of 13.81%. The company had revenue of $2.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.21 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that UGI will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at UGI

In other news, insider Kathleen Shea-Ballay sold 25,360 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were 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. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.57% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of UGI

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UGI. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in UGI by 9.2% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 78,715 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,603,000 after acquiring an additional 6,649 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in UGI by 14.3% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 930,787 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $30,781,000 after acquiring an additional 116,372 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $25,971,000 after acquiring an additional 115,409 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in shares of UGI by 92.6% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 22,584 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $747,000 after purchasing an additional 10,861 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of UGI by 15.6% in the second quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 28,359 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,033,000 after purchasing an additional 3,825 shares during the last quarter. 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.