Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) Stock Breaks Below 50 Day Moving Average – Here’s What Happened

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULH) passed below its 50-day moving average during trading on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $17.98 and traded as low as $16.57. Universal Logistics shares last traded at $17.35, with a volume of 58,758 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on ULH. Zacks Research raised Universal Logistics from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Universal Logistics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Universal Logistics in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Universal Logistics from $17.00 to $15.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Universal Logistics presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $15.00.

Universal Logistics Trading Up 4.3%

The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $17.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $17.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.20. The firm has a market cap of $457.52 million, a PE ratio of -9.43 and a beta of 0.74.

Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The transportation company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $379.32 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $380.40 million. Universal Logistics had a negative net margin of 3.16% and a positive return on equity of 1.99%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. will post 0.50 EPS for the current year.

Universal Logistics Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 1st were given a dividend of $0.1050 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Universal Logistics’s dividend payout ratio is -22.83%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Logistics

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Universal Logistics during the 2nd quarter valued at $8,082,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of Universal Logistics during the 2nd quarter valued at $2,770,000. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in shares of Universal Logistics during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,423,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Universal Logistics by 118.9% in the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 37,766 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $798,000 after buying an additional 20,511 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new position in shares of Universal Logistics in the 2nd quarter worth $75,000. Institutional investors own 25.50% of the company’s stock.

About Universal Logistics

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc provides transportation and logistics services throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. The company serves automotive, industrial, retail and other commercial customers with customized supply-chain solutions designed to move freight and support manufacturing and distribution operations.

Its services include contract logistics, dedicated transportation, truckload and intermodal transportation, freight brokerage, drayage, and value-added services.