UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $43.3333.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on UGI. Zacks Research lowered UGI from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on UGI in a research report on Monday, May 11th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $46.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded UGI from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Finally, 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.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Kathleen Shea-Ballay sold 25,360 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.62, for a total value of $852,603.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 25,360 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $852,603.20. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UGI

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of UGI. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of UGI by 45.6% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,268 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 397 shares during the last quarter. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in UGI during the fourth quarter worth about $65,000. Colonial Trust Co SC acquired a new position in UGI during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $75,000. Horizon Investments LLC bought a new position in UGI in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $93,000. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its stake in UGI by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 3,559 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $133,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. 82.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

UGI Stock Performance

Shares of UGI opened at $36.24 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $35.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $36.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.00. UGI has a twelve month low of $31.62 and a twelve month high of $41.34. The firm has a market cap of $7.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.72 and a beta of 0.93.

UGI (NYSE:UGI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $2.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.08 billion. UGI had a return on equity of 13.81% and a net margin of 8.71%.The company’s revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.21 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that UGI will post 2.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UGI Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. UGI’s payout ratio is currently 52.63%.

About UGI

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.