UGI (NYSE:UGI) Hits New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Shares of UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $36.37 and last traded at $36.17, with a volume of 210052 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $36.06.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UGI has been the topic of a number of research reports. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of UGI from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of UGI from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th.

UGI Stock Performance

The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $33.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $31.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The company has a market cap of $7.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.15, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.05.

UGI (NYSE:UGI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.41. UGI had a return on equity of 15.19% and a net margin of 7.73%. The firm had revenue of $2.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.26 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.97 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that UGI Co. will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UGI Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. UGI’s payout ratio is 61.73%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UGI

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of UGI by 216.7% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 893 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 611 shares during the period. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new position in shares of UGI during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. CX Institutional acquired a new stake in shares of UGI during the first quarter worth $30,000. GeoWealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of UGI in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Finally, S.A. Mason LLC bought a new stake in UGI in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.