William Blair Investment Management LLC Sells 26,171 Shares of UL Solutions Inc. $ULS

William Blair Investment Management LLC decreased its holdings in UL Solutions Inc. (NYSE:ULS) by 6.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 376,039 shares of the company’s stock after selling 26,171 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned about 0.19% of UL Solutions worth $29,654,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in shares of UL Solutions by 12.1% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,550,913 shares of the company’s stock worth $125,484,000 after acquiring an additional 167,564 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in UL Solutions by 405.7% during the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 593,484 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,054,000 after purchasing an additional 476,121 shares in the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp lifted its position in UL Solutions by 1,981.8% during the third quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 68,469 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,852,000 after purchasing an additional 65,180 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its position in shares of UL Solutions by 25.0% in the third quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 821,596 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,218,000 after acquiring an additional 164,396 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Candriam S.C.A. lifted its position in shares of UL Solutions by 99.3% in the third quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 108,079 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,658,000 after acquiring an additional 53,856 shares in the last quarter.

UL Solutions Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of ULS stock opened at $102.87 on Monday. UL Solutions Inc. has a 12-month low of $61.64 and a 12-month high of $107.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $90.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $83.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.00 and a beta of 0.59.

UL Solutions (NYSE:ULS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.08. UL Solutions had a return on equity of 30.99% and a net margin of 11.24%.The firm had revenue of $758.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $748.50 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.37 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that UL Solutions Inc. will post 2.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UL Solutions Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be issued a $0.145 dividend. This represents a $0.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. UL Solutions’s payout ratio is 33.92%.

Insider Transactions at UL Solutions

In other news, EVP Alberto Uggetti sold 6,100 shares of UL Solutions stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total value of $610,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 10,307 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,030,700. The trade was a 37.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Friedrich Hecker sold 4,000 shares of UL Solutions stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.04, for a total value of $408,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 13,180 shares in the company, valued at $1,344,887.20. This trade represents a 23.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 43,100 shares of company stock valued at $4,063,215. 1.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Zacks Research upgraded UL Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on UL Solutions from $87.80 to $106.40 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of UL Solutions in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on UL Solutions from $88.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on UL Solutions from $90.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, UL Solutions presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $101.54.

About UL Solutions

UL Solutions (NYSE: ULS) is a global safety science company that provides testing, inspection, certification, advisory and digital solutions designed to help organizations manage risk, ensure regulatory compliance and drive innovation. With roots dating back to 1894 when it was founded as Underwriters’ Electrical Bureau, the company rebranded as UL Solutions following its initial public offering in 2022. Headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, UL Solutions operates independently to serve a broad range of industries with an emphasis on product safety, performance and sustainability.

The company’s core services include standards development, product testing and certification for sectors such as building products, consumer electronics, automotive, life sciences, energy and industrial equipment.