UGI Co. (UGI) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.38 on April 1st

UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, February 5th, RTT News reports. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of 0.375 per share by the utilities provider on Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.53%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th.

UGI has raised its dividend payment by an average of 3.2% per year over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 37 years. UGI has a payout ratio of 49.0% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect UGI to earn $3.09 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.50 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 48.5%.

UGI Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UGI opened at $33.14 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.17. UGI has a 52 week low of $22.01 and a 52 week high of $34.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $31.43 and a 200 day moving average of $27.68.

UGI (NYSE:UGI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.16. UGI had a return on equity of 15.19% and a net margin of 7.73%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that UGI will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other UGI news, insider Michael Sharp acquired 4,806 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was bought at an average price of $33.30 per share, for a total transaction of $160,039.80. Following the acquisition, the insider now owns 4,806 shares in the company, valued at approximately $160,039.80. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.73% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UGI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Mizuho raised shares of UGI from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $27.00 to $30.00 in a report on Friday, November 15th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of UGI in a report on Friday, November 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $28.00 price target on the stock.

About UGI

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.