Wall Street Zen Upgrades Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) to “Buy”

Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on ULH. Zacks Research cut shares of Universal Logistics from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Universal Logistics from $17.00 to $15.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Universal Logistics in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Sell” and a consensus target price of $15.00.

Universal Logistics Price Performance

ULH stock opened at $19.29 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $508.68 million, a PE ratio of -10.48 and a beta of 0.69. Universal Logistics has a twelve month low of $11.73 and a twelve month high of $27.24. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $15.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $17.14.

Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The transportation company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.03. Universal Logistics had a positive return on equity of 1.99% and a negative net margin of 3.16%.The firm had revenue of $379.32 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $380.40 million. On average, equities analysts predict that Universal Logistics will post 0.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Logistics

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ULH. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Logistics by 102.3% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,428 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 722 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in shares of Universal Logistics by 10.7% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 10,557 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $160,000 after purchasing an additional 1,019 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its position in Universal Logistics by 7.1% in the 2nd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 20,569 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $520,000 after purchasing an additional 1,361 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its position in Universal Logistics by 104.4% in the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 2,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,412 shares during the period. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in Universal Logistics by 403.5% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,130 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 1,707 shares during the last quarter. 25.50% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Universal Logistics Company Profile

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc is a diversified, asset-light third-party logistics provider offering transportation and supply chain solutions across North America and around the globe. Its service portfolio encompasses truckload, less-than-truckload, intermodal, and specialized freight services, supported by dedicated brokerage, warehousing, and distribution management capabilities.

Originally incorporated as Universal Truckload Services, Inc, the company has evolved beyond its core truckload heritage to a one-stop logistics platform.