UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $42.00.

UGI has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of UGI from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued 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. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of UGI from $45.00 to $42.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of UGI from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of UGI from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th.

UGI Trading Down 0.8%

NYSE UGI opened at $37.58 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.06 billion, a PE ratio of 12.57 and a beta of 0.93. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $35.68 and its 200 day moving average is $36.15. UGI has a twelve month low of $31.62 and a twelve month high of $41.34. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28.

UGI (NYSE:UGI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported ($0.20) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.08) by ($0.12). The firm had revenue of $1.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.50 billion. UGI had a return on equity of 12.80% and a net margin of 9.20%. Research analysts forecast that UGI will post 2.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UGI Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a $0.375 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. UGI’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.17%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UGI

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UGI. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its holdings in shares of UGI by 34,940.4% during the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,576,169 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $93,824,000 after acquiring an additional 2,568,817 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new position in UGI in the 2nd quarter worth about $73,069,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its stake in UGI by 75.7% in the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,335,508 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $46,130,000 after purchasing an additional 575,239 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in UGI during the 2nd quarter valued at about $12,408,000. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in UGI during the 2nd quarter valued at about $11,308,000. 82.34% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.