Entropy Technologies LP Trims Holdings in UGI Corporation $UGI

Entropy Technologies LP decreased its holdings in shares of UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) by 90.5% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 6,839 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 65,513 shares during the quarter. Entropy Technologies LP’s holdings in UGI were worth $249,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of UGI. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in UGI in the 4th quarter worth approximately $65,000. Colonial Trust Co SC purchased a new position in shares of UGI during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $75,000. Horizon Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of UGI during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $93,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its holdings in shares of UGI by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 3,559 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $133,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of UGI by 17.0% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 4,992 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $187,000 after acquiring an additional 724 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.34% of the company’s stock.

UGI Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:UGI opened at $36.24 on Friday. UGI Corporation has a 52-week low of $31.62 and a 52-week high of $41.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.72 and a beta of 0.93. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $35.34 and a 200-day moving average price of $36.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.00.

UGI (NYSE:UGI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by ($0.02). UGI had a net margin of 8.71% and a return on equity of 13.81%. The firm had revenue of $2.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.21 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that UGI Corporation will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UGI Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. UGI’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 52.63%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of UGI from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of UGI in a report on Monday, May 11th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $46.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings raised shares of UGI from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $40.00 target price (down from $45.00) on shares of UGI in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $43.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Kathleen Shea-Ballay sold 25,360 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.62, for a total transaction of $852,603.20. Following the sale, the insider owned 25,360 shares in the company, valued at approximately $852,603.20. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

UGI Profile

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.