UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $43.3333.

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of UGI in a report on Friday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $40.00 price target (down from $45.00) on shares of UGI in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of UGI in a report on Monday, May 11th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $46.00 target price on the stock.

UGI Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UGI opened at $35.18 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.00. The company has a market cap of $7.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.34 and a beta of 0.96. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $36.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $37.00. UGI has a 52-week low of $31.62 and a 52-week high of $41.34.

UGI (NYSE:UGI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $2.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. UGI had a net margin of 8.71% and a return on equity of 13.81%. The business’s revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.21 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that UGI will post 2.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UGI Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $0.375 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.3%. UGI’s payout ratio is 52.63%.

Institutional Trading of UGI

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in UGI. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of UGI by 9.2% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 78,715 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,603,000 after buying an additional 6,649 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of UGI by 14.3% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 930,787 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $30,781,000 after buying an additional 116,372 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in shares of UGI by 17.2% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 785,327 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,971,000 after buying an additional 115,409 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its holdings in shares of UGI by 92.6% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 22,584 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $747,000 after buying an additional 10,861 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of UGI by 15.6% in the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 28,359 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,033,000 after buying an additional 3,825 shares during the last quarter. 82.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

UGI Company 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.