UGI (NYSE:UGI) Upgraded by Wells Fargo & Company to Strong-Buy Rating

Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of UGI (NYSE:UGI) to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other analysts have also commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and issued a $40.00 price objective (down from $45.00) on shares of UGI in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of UGI in a research note on Friday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, UGI has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.33.

UGI Trading Up 1.7%

NYSE:UGI opened at $33.00 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.58 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a fifty day moving average of $36.43 and a 200 day moving average of $36.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. UGI has a 52 week low of $31.62 and a 52 week high of $41.34.

UGI (NYSE:UGI) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.11 by ($0.02). UGI had a return on equity of 13.81% and a net margin of 8.71%.The business had revenue of $2.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.21 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that UGI will post 2.83 earnings per share for the current year.

UGI Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. UGI’s payout ratio is currently 52.63%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UGI

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bare Financial Services Inc grew its holdings in UGI by 103.8% during the third quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 1,345 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 685 shares during the period. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in UGI during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Colonial Trust Co SC bought a new stake in UGI in the 4th quarter valued at $75,000. Horizon Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of UGI in the fourth quarter worth about $93,000. Finally, CoreCap Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of UGI by 2,455.7% during the 3rd quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 3,348 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $111,000 after acquiring an additional 3,217 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.34% of the company’s stock.

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.