Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) Sees Strong Trading Volume on Analyst Upgrade

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULH) saw strong trading volume on Tuesday after Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on the stock from $17.00 to $20.00. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a hold rating on the stock. 39,447 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 22% from the previous session’s volume of 50,634 shares.The stock last traded at $20.7730 and had previously closed at $20.80.

ULH has been the topic of several other research reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Universal Logistics from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. Zacks Research raised shares of Universal Logistics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Universal Logistics in a report 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 presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $20.00.

Institutional Trading of Universal Logistics

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ULH. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new stake in Universal Logistics in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in Universal Logistics by 102.3% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its holdings in Universal Logistics by 403.5% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,130 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 1,707 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new stake in Universal Logistics during the third quarter worth approximately $102,000. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its holdings in Universal Logistics by 46.2% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 7,579 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $115,000 after purchasing an additional 2,396 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 25.50% of the company’s stock.

Universal Logistics Trading Up 0.2%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $17.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $17.44. The company has a market cap of $549.34 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.65 and a beta of 0.71.

Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, March 13th. The transportation company reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.05) by $0.19. Universal Logistics had a negative net margin of 3.64% and a positive return on equity of 4.13%. The company had revenue of $385.43 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $376.10 million. On average, equities analysts predict that Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. will post 2.81 EPS for the current year.

Universal Logistics Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.105 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 23rd. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Universal Logistics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -19.53%.

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.