Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) Rating Increased to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Universal Logistics in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Universal Logistics from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Universal Logistics from $17.00 to $15.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Universal Logistics currently has a consensus rating of “Sell” and a consensus target price of $15.00.

Universal Logistics Stock Down 1.9%

NASDAQ:ULH opened at $19.29 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $15.99 and a 200-day moving average of $17.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $508.68 million, a PE ratio of -10.48 and a beta of 0.69. Universal Logistics has a 52 week low of $11.73 and a 52 week high of $27.24.

Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The transportation company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.03. Universal Logistics had a positive return on equity of 2.01% and a negative net margin of 3.16%.The business had revenue of $379.32 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $380.40 million. Analysts predict that Universal Logistics will post 0.5 EPS for the current year.

Universal Logistics Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be given a dividend of $0.105 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $0.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Universal Logistics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -22.83%.

Institutional Trading of Universal Logistics

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Universal Logistics during the second quarter valued at about $8,082,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in Universal Logistics in the second quarter worth about $2,770,000. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in Universal Logistics by 44.2% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 129,253 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,280,000 after acquiring an additional 39,633 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Universal Logistics in the 1st quarter valued at about $789,000. Finally, Walleye Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Universal Logistics in the 4th quarter valued at about $340,000. 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.