Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) Trading 16.9% Higher – Here’s What Happened

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULH) shares rose 16.9% on Monday . The company traded as high as $20.24 and last traded at $20.65. Approximately 34,123 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 29% from the average daily volume of 48,293 shares. The stock had previously closed at $17.67.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on ULH shares. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Universal Logistics from $18.00 to $17.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Universal Logistics from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. Zacks Research upgraded Universal Logistics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Universal Logistics in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $17.00.

Universal Logistics Stock Down 1.3%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.20. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $16.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $17.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $516.20 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.11 and a beta of 0.91.

Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, March 13th. The transportation company reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.05) by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $385.43 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $376.10 million. Universal Logistics had a positive return on equity of 4.13% and a negative net margin of 3.64%. Sell-side analysts expect that Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. will post 2.81 EPS for the current year.

Universal Logistics Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 23rd will be given a $0.105 dividend. This represents a $0.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 23rd. Universal Logistics’s dividend payout ratio is currently -19.53%.

Institutional Trading of Universal Logistics

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in ULH. AQR Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Universal Logistics in the 1st quarter valued at about $789,000. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of Universal Logistics by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 108,268 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,841,000 after purchasing an additional 5,136 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Universal Logistics by 4.3% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 193,413 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $4,910,000 after buying an additional 8,039 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its position in shares of Universal Logistics by 93.7% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 13,514 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $343,000 after buying an additional 6,538 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of Universal Logistics by 5.6% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 262,597 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $6,665,000 after buying an additional 13,860 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 25.50% of the company’s stock.

Universal Logistics Company Profile

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc is a diversified, asset-light third-party logistics provider offering transportation and supply chain solutions across North America and around the globe. Its service portfolio encompasses truckload, less-than-truckload, intermodal, and specialized freight services, supported by dedicated brokerage, warehousing, and distribution management capabilities.

Originally incorporated as Universal Truckload Services, Inc, the company has evolved beyond its core truckload heritage to a one-stop logistics platform.