UGI (NYSE:UGI) Sets New 1-Year High – Here’s Why

UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI) reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $30.70 and last traded at $30.73, with a volume of 776938 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $30.32.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on UGI. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of UGI from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of UGI in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $28.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Mizuho raised shares of UGI from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $27.00 to $30.00 in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $28.33.

UGI Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $6.40 billion, a PE ratio of 24.05 and a beta of 1.21. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $28.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $25.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48.

UGI Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. UGI’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 120.97%.

Institutional Trading of UGI

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UGI. Easterly Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in UGI by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Easterly Investment Partners LLC now owns 59,238 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,482,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares during the period. Wright Investors Service Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of UGI by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Wright Investors Service Inc. now owns 37,206 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,050,000 after purchasing an additional 484 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its position in UGI by 0.4% in the third quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 110,875 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,774,000 after buying an additional 489 shares during the last quarter. Abundance Wealth Counselors increased its holdings in UGI by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Abundance Wealth Counselors now owns 29,514 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $833,000 after buying an additional 505 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in UGI by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 7,885 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $197,000 after acquiring an additional 531 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 82.34% of the company’s 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.