Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) Cut to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Wednesday.

Separately, Stifel Nicolaus raised Universal Logistics from a hold rating to a buy rating and upped their target price for the stock from $35.00 to $36.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th.

Universal Logistics Trading Up 3.0 %

Universal Logistics stock opened at $37.24 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $979.78 million, a P/E ratio of 10.52 and a beta of 1.07. Universal Logistics has a fifty-two week low of $20.85 and a fifty-two week high of $38.50. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $32.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $28.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.39.

Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The transportation company reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.71 by $0.10. Universal Logistics had a net margin of 5.59% and a return on equity of 18.58%. The business had revenue of $390.92 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $377.30 million. Equities research analysts forecast that Universal Logistics will post 3.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Logistics Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 4th will be paid a $0.105 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 1st. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.13%. Universal Logistics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 11.86%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ULH. Quadrature Capital Ltd grew its holdings in Universal Logistics by 8.3% in the 4th quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 10,862 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $304,000 after acquiring an additional 834 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Logistics during the fourth quarter worth about $273,000. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Universal Logistics by 318.5% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 10,999 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $307,000 after purchasing an additional 8,371 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Universal Logistics by 36.6% during the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 24,384 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $683,000 after purchasing an additional 6,537 shares during the period. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC raised its position in Universal Logistics by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 191,535 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $5,367,000 after purchasing an additional 6,824 shares during the last quarter. 25.50% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Universal Logistics

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc provides transportation and logistics solutions in the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Colombia. The company offers truckload services, which include dry van, flatbed, heavy-haul, and refrigerated operations; domestic and international freight forwarding, and customs brokerage services.