Analysts Set UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) Target Price at $43.33

Shares of UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has given a hold recommendation, three have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $43.3333.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on UGI. Zacks Research cut shares of UGI from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on UGI in a report on Monday, May 11th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $46.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and issued a $40.00 price target (down from $45.00) on shares of UGI in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of UGI from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th.

Insider Activity at UGI

In other news, insider Kathleen Shea-Ballay sold 25,360 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.62, for a total transaction of $852,603.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 25,360 shares in the company, valued at approximately $852,603.20. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UGI

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UGI. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of UGI by 45.6% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,268 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 397 shares during the period. Torren Management LLC bought a new position in shares of UGI in the fourth quarter worth $65,000. Colonial Trust Co SC acquired a new position in UGI in the fourth quarter valued at about $75,000. Horizon Investments LLC acquired a new position in UGI in the fourth quarter valued at about $93,000. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its position in UGI by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 3,559 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $133,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 82.34% of the company’s stock.

UGI Trading Up 0.5%

UGI stock opened at $36.30 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.00. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $35.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $36.41. UGI has a 52 week low of $31.62 and a 52 week high of $41.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.78 billion, a PE ratio of 12.74 and a beta of 0.93.

UGI (NYSE:UGI) last issued its quarterly 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). The firm had revenue of $2.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. UGI had a net margin of 8.71% and a return on equity of 13.81%. The company’s revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.21 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that UGI will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current year.

UGI Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. UGI’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 52.63%.

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.