Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Acquires 15,000 Shares of UL Solutions Inc. $ULS

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of UL Solutions Inc. (NYSE:ULS) by 100.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 30,000 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 15,000 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in UL Solutions were worth $2,126,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ULS. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in UL Solutions in the third quarter valued at about $97,803,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in UL Solutions during the second quarter worth about $89,174,000. Electron Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of UL Solutions in the second quarter worth about $45,558,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of UL Solutions by 405.7% in the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 593,484 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,054,000 after acquiring an additional 476,121 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of UL Solutions by 57.3% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,137,364 shares of the company’s stock valued at $80,594,000 after purchasing an additional 414,363 shares in the last quarter.

UL Solutions Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:ULS opened at $82.76 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $16.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.05, a P/E/G ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.87. UL Solutions Inc. has a 12-month low of $49.34 and a 12-month high of $91.95. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $76.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $76.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

UL Solutions (NYSE:ULS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.07. UL Solutions had a return on equity of 31.62% and a net margin of 10.61%.The firm had revenue of $789.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $782.37 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.49 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that UL Solutions Inc. will post 1.69 earnings per share for the current year.

UL Solutions Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.145 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $0.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. This is a boost from UL Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. UL Solutions’s payout ratio is currently 36.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of UL Solutions in a report on Friday, February 20th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of UL Solutions from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Zacks Research lowered shares of UL Solutions from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of UL Solutions from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of UL Solutions from $97.00 to $96.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 20th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $87.60.

UL Solutions Company Profile

UL Solutions (NYSE: ULS) is a global safety science company that provides testing, inspection, certification, advisory and digital solutions designed to help organizations manage risk, ensure regulatory compliance and drive innovation. With roots dating back to 1894 when it was founded as Underwriters’ Electrical Bureau, the company rebranded as UL Solutions following its initial public offering in 2022. Headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, UL Solutions operates independently to serve a broad range of industries with an emphasis on product safety, performance and sustainability.

The company’s core services include standards development, product testing and certification for sectors such as building products, consumer electronics, automotive, life sciences, energy and industrial equipment.