UGI (NYSE:UGI) Cut to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of UGI (NYSE:UGI) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday morning.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on UGI. Mizuho increased their price target on UGI from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of UGI from $28.00 to $27.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 3rd.

UGI Stock Performance

NYSE:UGI opened at $22.55 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $23.91 and its 200-day moving average is $24.07. The stock has a market cap of $4.73 billion, a P/E ratio of -55.00 and a beta of 1.13. UGI has a 1-year low of $20.19 and a 1-year high of $27.78. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

UGI (NYSE:UGI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.32. The firm had revenue of $2.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.07 billion. UGI had a negative net margin of 0.89% and a positive return on equity of 15.78%. The company’s revenue was down 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.68 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that UGI will post 2.92 earnings per share for the current year.

UGI Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th were given a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 14th. UGI’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -365.84%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UGI

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UGI. American National Bank acquired a new stake in shares of UGI during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Concord Wealth Partners grew its holdings in UGI by 100.0% in the first quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 1,274 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 637 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in UGI in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of UGI during the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Neo Ivy Capital Management bought a new position in shares of UGI during the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. 82.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.