UGI (NYSE:UGI) Shares Cross Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) shares crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $36.13 and traded as high as $36.63. UGI shares last traded at $36.3060, with a volume of 1,420,838 shares.

Key UGI News

Here are the key news stories impacting UGI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Technical bullish signal — UGI crossed above its 200?day moving average, which can attract momentum traders and funds that track trend signals. UGI (NYSE:UGI) Stock Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average – Here’s Why
• Neutral Sentiment: Rate case activity — the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission will hold public hearings on UGI’s rate increase request; an approved increase would be revenue?positive, but the process introduces regulatory timing risk and uncertainty. PUC to hold public hearings on UGI rate increase request
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent operating backdrop — UGI’s last quarterly report (Feb. 4) missed EPS and revenue estimates, leaving limited near?term upside from fundamentals until regulatory and operating trends are clearer.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory enforcement & penalties — Pennsylvania’s PUC has filed a complaint seeking about $2.6M in civil penalties tied to the March 24, 2023 RM Palmer chocolate?factory explosion that killed seven; the complaint alleges violations connected to UGI’s gas lines and could lead to fines, remediation costs and greater regulatory scrutiny. Pennsylvania regulators seek $2.6 million in penalties for deadly 2023 chocolate factory explosion
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/reputational pressure — plaintiffs’ counsel and a prominent law firm praised the PUC action and characterized UGI’s gas lines as defective; increased litigation/media attention raises the risk of additional civil claims, settlements, and political/regulatory pushback. Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky Lauds Pennsylvania PUC Enforcement Action Against Negligent UGI Gas Utility

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on UGI shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of UGI from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 22nd. UBS Group restated an “outperform” rating on shares of UGI in a report on Monday, December 15th. Weiss Ratings upgraded UGI from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Mizuho increased their price objective on UGI from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $45.00 price objective on shares of UGI in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $44.50.

UGI Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.78. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $37.90 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $36.13. The stock has a market cap of $7.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.62 and a beta of 1.08.

UGI (NYSE:UGI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.50 by ($0.24). The business had revenue of $2.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.49 billion. UGI had a net margin of 8.17% and a return on equity of 14.46%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.37 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that UGI Corporation will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current year.

UGI Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. UGI’s payout ratio is currently 55.35%.

Insider Activity at UGI

In other news, CAO Jean Felix Tematio sold 12,840 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.07, for a total value of $488,818.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 6,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $264,662.64. This represents a 64.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UGI

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in UGI in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Bare Financial Services Inc raised its position in shares of UGI by 103.8% during the third quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 1,345 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 685 shares during the last quarter. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of UGI in the fourth quarter valued at about $65,000. Colonial Trust Co SC bought a new stake in shares of UGI in the fourth quarter valued at about $75,000. Finally, Horizon Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of UGI in the fourth quarter valued at about $93,000. 82.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About UGI

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.