Empowered Funds LLC Makes New Investment in Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. $ULH

Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULH) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund bought 96,115 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,423,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of Universal Logistics by 102.3% in 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. Barclays PLC increased its stake in Universal Logistics by 10.7% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 10,557 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $160,000 after purchasing an additional 1,019 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Universal Logistics by 7.1% during the 2nd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 20,569 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $520,000 after purchasing an additional 1,361 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its holdings in Universal Logistics by 403.5% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,130 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 1,707 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Archer Investment Corp bought a new position in shares of Universal Logistics in the first quarter worth approximately $48,000. 25.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Universal Logistics Stock Performance

Shares of ULH stock opened at $19.01 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $16.85 and a 200-day moving average price of $17.34. Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $11.73 and a 52 week high of $26.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $501.26 million, a PE ratio of -10.33 and a beta of 0.75.

Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The transportation company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.03. Universal Logistics had a negative net margin of 3.16% and a positive return on equity of 1.99%. The company had revenue of $379.32 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $380.40 million. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. will post 0.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Logistics Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.105 per share. This represents a $0.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 1st. Universal Logistics’s dividend payout ratio is presently -22.83%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on ULH shares. Zacks Research cut shares of Universal Logistics from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Wall Street Zen raised Universal Logistics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Universal Logistics from $17.00 to $15.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Universal Logistics in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Sell” and an average price target of $15.00.

Universal Logistics 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.