UL Solutions (NYSE:ULS) Cut to Hold at Zacks Research

UL Solutions (NYSE:ULS) was downgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on ULS. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on UL Solutions in a report on Monday, April 20th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on UL Solutions from $88.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on UL Solutions from $87.80 to $106.40 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of UL Solutions from $90.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of UL Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $101.54.

UL Solutions Stock Down 0.6%

ULS opened at $88.78 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.16. The company has a market cap of $17.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.92, a PEG ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.63. UL Solutions has a one year low of $61.64 and a one year high of $107.54. The business’s fifty day moving average is $97.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $86.29.

UL Solutions (NYSE:ULS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.08. UL Solutions had a return on equity of 30.99% and a net margin of 11.24%.The business had revenue of $758.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $748.50 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.37 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that UL Solutions will post 2.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at UL Solutions

In related news, Director Friedrich Hecker sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.04, for a total transaction of $408,160.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 13,180 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,344,887.20. This represents a 23.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Karen K. Pepping sold 725 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.74, for a total value of $70,861.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,082 shares in the company, valued at approximately $789,934.68. The trade was a 8.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 65,705 shares of company stock valued at $6,460,300. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UL Solutions

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Advisor OS LLC raised its stake in UL Solutions by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Advisor OS LLC now owns 3,477 shares of the company’s stock worth $274,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the period. Cresset Asset Management LLC grew its position in UL Solutions by 4.0% during the second quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 4,174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $304,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in UL Solutions by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 15,155 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,195,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG increased its stake in UL Solutions by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 3,677 shares of the company’s stock worth $290,000 after acquiring an additional 207 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of UL Solutions by 349.3% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 301 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the period.

UL Solutions Company Profile

UL Solutions (NYSE: ULS) is a global safety science company that provides testing, inspection, certification, advisory and digital solutions designed to help organizations manage risk, ensure regulatory compliance and drive innovation. With roots dating back to 1894 when it was founded as Underwriters’ Electrical Bureau, the company rebranded as UL Solutions following its initial public offering in 2022. Headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, UL Solutions operates independently to serve a broad range of industries with an emphasis on product safety, performance and sustainability.

The company’s core services include standards development, product testing and certification for sectors such as building products, consumer electronics, automotive, life sciences, energy and industrial equipment.