UGI Corporation $UGI Shares Sold by Hamlin Capital Management LLC

Hamlin Capital Management LLC lessened its position in shares of UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,554,320 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 102,109 shares during the quarter. UGI comprises approximately 2.2% of Hamlin Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Hamlin Capital Management LLC’s holdings in UGI were worth $91,113,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UGI. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its stake in UGI by 11.4% during the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 3,191,444 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $119,456,000 after acquiring an additional 327,511 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new position in shares of UGI during the 2nd quarter worth $73,069,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of UGI by 75.7% during the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,335,508 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $46,130,000 after purchasing an additional 575,239 shares during the last quarter. Energy Income Partners LLC increased its position in shares of UGI by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Energy Income Partners LLC now owns 1,302,403 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $44,985,000 after purchasing an additional 18,808 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Private Management Group Inc. raised its holdings in UGI by 10.8% in the 2nd quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 1,057,888 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,539,000 after buying an additional 103,470 shares during the period. 82.34% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UGI Stock Up 1.1%

UGI stock traded up $0.39 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $37.04. 535,792 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,910,677. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. UGI Corporation has a twelve month low of $31.62 and a twelve month high of $41.34. The company has a market cap of $7.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.39 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a fifty day moving average of $37.00 and a 200-day moving average of $36.11.

UGI (NYSE:UGI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported ($0.20) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.08) by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $1.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.50 billion. UGI had a return on equity of 12.80% and a net margin of 9.20%. Sell-side analysts expect that UGI Corporation will post 2.81 EPS for the current year.

UGI Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were given a dividend of $0.3750 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.0%. UGI’s payout ratio is currently 50.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research lowered shares of UGI from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Huntington started coverage on shares of UGI in a report on Monday, September 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $54.00 price objective on the stock. Scotiabank began coverage on shares of UGI in a report on Tuesday, September 29th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $46.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded UGI from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on UGI from $45.00 to $42.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $45.80.

UGI Profile

UGI Corporation is a diversified energy company headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. Through its subsidiaries, the company distributes and markets natural gas, propane, electricity and related energy products to residential, commercial, industrial and institutional customers.

UGI Utilities operates regulated natural gas and electric distribution businesses in Pennsylvania and provides natural gas, electric and related services to customers in the region. The company also owns AmeriGas, one of the largest retail propane distributors in the United States, serving households, businesses, agricultural customers and other end users through a nationwide distribution network.

UGI has additional energy operations in Europe through its international LPG businesses and participates in energy marketing, midstream and related activities.