UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation, three have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $43.3333.

UGI has been the subject of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $40.00 target price (down from $45.00) on shares of UGI in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings upgraded UGI from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of UGI in a research report on Monday, May 11th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $46.00 price target for the company. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of UGI from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other UGI news, insider Kathleen Shea-Ballay sold 25,360 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 25,360 shares in the company, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UGI

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its holdings in UGI by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 3,559 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $133,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in UGI by 4.1% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,733 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $282,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in UGI by 45.6% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,268 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 397 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in UGI by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,842 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $368,000 after purchasing an additional 456 shares during the period. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC increased its position in UGI by 17.0% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 4,992 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $187,000 after buying an additional 724 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.34% of the company’s stock.

UGI Price Performance

UGI opened at $36.85 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.00. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $35.25 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $36.43. UGI has a 52-week low of $31.62 and a 52-week high of $41.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.93 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 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by ($0.02). UGI had a net margin of 8.71% and a return on equity of 13.81%. The company had revenue of $2.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.21 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that UGI will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

UGI Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. UGI’s dividend 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.