Short Interest in Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULH) Expands By 30.6%

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULH) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 260,900 shares, a growth of 30.6% from the March 15th total of 199,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 60,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.3 days. Currently, 3.9% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Universal Logistics from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd.

Universal Logistics Stock Performance

NASDAQ ULH opened at $26.52 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The company has a market capitalization of $697.93 million, a PE ratio of 5.37 and a beta of 0.92. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $26.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $39.03. Universal Logistics has a twelve month low of $22.86 and a twelve month high of $53.29.

Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The transportation company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.93 by ($0.16). Universal Logistics had a return on equity of 21.37% and a net margin of 7.04%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.81 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Universal Logistics will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Logistics Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.105 dividend. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Universal Logistics’s payout ratio is currently 8.50%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Logistics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in Universal Logistics by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 10,353 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $476,000 after purchasing an additional 470 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Logistics by 15.6% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,831 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $176,000 after acquiring an additional 516 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in Universal Logistics by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 13,090 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $601,000 after purchasing an additional 747 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its holdings in Universal Logistics by 31.0% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 3,708 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $170,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Universal Logistics by 0.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 147,251 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $6,363,000 after purchasing an additional 911 shares in the last quarter. 25.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Universal Logistics Company Profile

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.