Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.06 EPS

Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The transportation company reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.06, Zacks reports. The company had revenue of $396.79 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $422.80 million. Universal Logistics had a return on equity of 9.47% and a net margin of 3.66%.

Universal Logistics Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of ULH stock traded down $0.21 on Friday, hitting $15.11. 87,114 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 51,551. The stock has a market capitalization of $397.85 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.49 and a beta of 0.90. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $21.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $23.74. Universal Logistics has a one year low of $14.25 and a one year high of $52.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.28.

Universal Logistics Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.105 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 1st. This represents a $0.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Universal Logistics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.03%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Universal Logistics in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Universal Logistics from $28.00 to $24.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Universal Logistics from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Universal Logistics from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Universal Logistics currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $24.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Logistics

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in Universal Logistics by 403.5% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,130 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 1,707 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in shares of Universal Logistics by 93.7% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 13,514 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $343,000 after purchasing an additional 6,538 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Universal Logistics by 7.1% in the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 20,569 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $520,000 after purchasing an additional 1,361 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Universal Logistics in the first quarter worth $789,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Universal Logistics by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 108,268 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,841,000 after buying an additional 5,136 shares during the last quarter. 25.50% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Universal Logistics Company Profile

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc provides transportation and logistics solutions in the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Colombia. The company offers truckload services, which include dry van, flatbed, heavy-haul, and refrigerated operations; domestic and international freight forwarding, and customs brokerage services.