UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $43.3333.

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $40.00 price target (down from $45.00) on shares of UGI in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of UGI in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of UGI in a research note on Monday, May 11th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $46.00 price target on the stock.

UGI Stock Performance

Shares of UGI stock opened at $34.98 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.27 and a beta of 0.93. UGI has a 52 week low of $31.62 and a 52 week high of $41.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $35.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $37.03.

UGI (NYSE:UGI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.11 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $2.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.08 billion. UGI had a net margin of 8.71% and a return on equity of 13.81%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.21 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that UGI will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UGI Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.3%. UGI’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.63%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UGI

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UGI. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its position in shares of UGI by 34,940.4% during the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,576,169 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $93,824,000 after acquiring an additional 2,568,817 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in shares of UGI by 14.3% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 930,787 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $30,781,000 after acquiring an additional 116,372 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in shares of UGI by 17.2% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 785,327 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,971,000 after acquiring an additional 115,409 shares during the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of UGI during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,708,000. Finally, Tudor Investment Corp ET AL grew its position in shares of UGI by 234.1% during the third quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 95,545 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,178,000 after acquiring an additional 66,946 shares during the last quarter. 82.34% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.