Mizuho Raises UGI (NYSE:UGI) Price Target to $27.00

UGI (NYSE:UGI) had its price objective raised by Mizuho from $26.00 to $27.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. Mizuho currently has a neutral rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on UGI. Wells Fargo & Company lowered UGI from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and raised their price objective for the company from $27.00 to $28.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of UGI from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Finally, TheStreet upgraded shares of UGI from a d+ rating to a c- rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st.

UGI Stock Up 8.2 %

Shares of NYSE:UGI opened at $25.74 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -11.70 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a 50 day moving average of $24.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $23.20. UGI has a 52-week low of $20.19 and a 52-week high of $35.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59.

UGI (NYSE:UGI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $2.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.98 billion. UGI had a negative net margin of 5.48% and a positive return on equity of 14.09%. As a group, analysts forecast that UGI will post 2.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UGI Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. UGI’s dividend payout ratio is presently -68.18%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of UGI. Stolper Co acquired a new stake in UGI during the fourth quarter worth about $1,927,000. Comerica Bank boosted its position in UGI by 316.5% during the 3rd quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 179,049 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,118,000 after purchasing an additional 136,058 shares during the period. Occidental Asset Management LLC grew its stake in UGI by 247.8% during the 4th quarter. Occidental Asset Management LLC now owns 58,309 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,434,000 after buying an additional 41,546 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in UGI by 3.1% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,271,972 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $604,255,000 after buying an additional 781,929 shares during the period. Finally, Algert Global LLC boosted its holdings in shares of UGI by 644.3% during the third quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 209,661 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,822,000 after acquiring an additional 181,491 shares during the period. 82.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About UGI

UGI Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, distributes, stores, transports, and markets energy products and related services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through four segments: AmeriGas Propane, UGI International, Midstream & Marketing, and UGI Utilities. It distributes propane to approximately 1.3 million residential, commercial/industrial, motor fuel, agricultural, and wholesale customers through 1,400 propane distribution locations.