Zacks Research Upgrades Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) to “Strong-Buy”

Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Wednesday, Zacks reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Universal Logistics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Universal Logistics from $17.00 to $15.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Universal Logistics in a report on Monday, September 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $15.00.

Universal Logistics Stock Down 9.9%

Shares of NASDAQ ULH opened at $29.47 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $18.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $17.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. Universal Logistics has a 12-month low of $11.73 and a 12-month high of $33.87. The company has a market cap of $777.12 million, a P/E ratio of 38.05 and a beta of 0.69.

Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The transportation company reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.37. Universal Logistics had a return on equity of 4.11% and a net margin of 2.92%. The company had revenue of $394.05 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $390.00 million. Research analysts anticipate that Universal Logistics will post 1.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Logistics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Universal Logistics in the second quarter valued at about $8,082,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in Universal Logistics during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,770,000. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in Universal Logistics during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,423,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its holdings in Universal Logistics by 118.9% during the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 37,766 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $798,000 after purchasing an additional 20,511 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new stake in Universal Logistics during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $75,000. 25.50% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.