UGI (NYSE:UGI) Sets New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $32.65 and last traded at $32.59, with a volume of 105805 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $32.35.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UGI has been the topic of a number of research reports. Mizuho raised shares of UGI from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $27.00 to $30.00 in a report on Friday, November 15th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of UGI in a report on Friday, November 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $28.00 price target on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $28.33.

UGI Trading Up 0.6 %

The company has a market capitalization of $6.99 billion, a PE ratio of 12.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $29.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $26.42.

UGI (NYSE:UGI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.16. UGI had a net margin of 7.73% and a return on equity of 15.21%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that UGI Co. will post 3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UGI Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.61%. UGI’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.06%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. AIA Group Ltd lifted its position in shares of UGI by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 18,047 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $509,000 after buying an additional 323 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its position in shares of UGI by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 10,826 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $306,000 after buying an additional 388 shares in the last quarter. Easterly Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of UGI by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Easterly Investment Partners LLC now owns 59,238 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,482,000 after buying an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Hourglass Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of UGI by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Hourglass Capital LLC now owns 82,520 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,330,000 after buying an additional 470 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wright Investors Service Inc. raised its stake in UGI by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Wright Investors Service Inc. now owns 37,206 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,050,000 after purchasing an additional 484 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.34% of the company’s stock.

UGI Company Profile

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.