UGI (NYSE:UGI) Insider Joseph Hartz Sells 5,000 Shares

UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) insider Joseph Hartz sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.45, for a total value of $192,250.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 33,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,287,767.40. This represents a 12.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

UGI Stock Performance

Shares of UGI stock opened at $38.47 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $8.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.37 and a beta of 1.06. UGI Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $26.80 and a fifty-two week high of $39.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.89. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $35.46 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $35.17.

UGI (NYSE:UGI) last issued its earnings results on Friday, November 21st. The utilities provider reported ($0.23) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.44) by $0.21. UGI had a net margin of 9.30% and a return on equity of 15.10%. The firm had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($1.27) earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that UGI Corporation will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current year.

UGI Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. UGI’s dividend payout ratio is 48.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on UGI shares. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $45.00 target price on shares of UGI in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on UGI from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Wall Street Zen cut UGI from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 22nd. UBS Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of UGI in a research note on Monday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of UGI in a research report on Tuesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, UGI presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $44.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UGI

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in UGI in the third quarter worth $33,000. Bare Financial Services Inc lifted its position in UGI by 103.8% during the third quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 1,345 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 685 shares during the period. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of UGI during the 1st quarter valued at $51,000. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UGI in the 1st quarter worth about $86,000. Finally, Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of UGI in the 2nd quarter worth about $86,000. 82.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About UGI

UGI Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, distributes, stores, transports, and markets energy products and related services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through four segments: AmeriGas Propane, UGI International, Midstream & Marketing, and UGI Utilities. It distributes propane to approximately 1.3 million residential, commercial/industrial, motor fuel, agricultural, and wholesale customers through 1,400 propane distribution locations.