UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the five ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $44.50.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of UGI in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of UGI in a research note on Monday. Wall Street Zen cut UGI from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $45.00 price objective on shares of UGI in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on UGI from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th.

Insider Buying and Selling at UGI

In related news, insider Joseph L. Hartz sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.45, for a total value of $192,250.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 33,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,287,767.40. This trade represents a 12.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.73% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of UGI during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Bare Financial Services Inc lifted its stake in UGI by 103.8% during the 3rd quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 1,345 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 685 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new position in UGI during the 1st quarter worth $51,000. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of UGI in the 1st quarter worth $86,000. Finally, Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of UGI in the second quarter valued at about $86,000. Institutional investors own 82.34% of the company’s stock.

UGI Stock Performance

Shares of UGI stock opened at $38.11 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $35.59 and a 200-day moving average of $35.18. The company has a market cap of $8.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.25 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. UGI has a 52 week low of $26.80 and a 52 week high of $39.59.

UGI (NYSE:UGI) last released its earnings results on Friday, November 21st. The utilities provider reported ($0.23) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.44) by $0.21. The company had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.52 billion. UGI had a net margin of 9.30% and a return on equity of 15.10%. UGI’s quarterly revenue was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($1.27) EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that UGI will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current year.

UGI Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. UGI’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.23%.

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.