Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) Hits New 12-Month High – What’s Next?

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULH) shares reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday. The company traded as high as $30.34 and last traded at $29.2960, with a volume of 21,431 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $28.54.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ULH has been the topic of a number of research reports. Zacks Research raised Universal Logistics from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Universal Logistics from $17.00 to $15.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Universal Logistics in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Universal Logistics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $15.00.

Universal Logistics Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $866.58 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.63 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.20. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $18.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $17.58.

Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The transportation company reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.37. The company had revenue of $394.05 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $390.00 million. Universal Logistics had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 4.11%. On average, analysts expect that Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. will post 0.50 EPS for the current year.

Universal Logistics Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be issued a $0.1050 dividend. This represents a $0.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 1st. Universal Logistics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.85%.

Institutional Trading of Universal Logistics

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Archer Investment Corp acquired a new position in Universal Logistics in the 1st quarter valued at $48,000. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Logistics in the second quarter valued at approximately $75,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its position in shares of Universal Logistics by 118.9% in the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 37,766 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $798,000 after purchasing an additional 20,511 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Logistics in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,423,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Logistics in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,770,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.