UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI – Get Rating) saw a large drop in short interest during the month of May. As of May 31st, there was short interest totalling 4,860,000 shares, a drop of 28.1% from the May 15th total of 6,760,000 shares. Approximately 2.3% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,910,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.5 days.
In other UGI news, Director John L. Walsh sold 105,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.36, for a total value of $4,447,800.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 429,734 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,203,532.24. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.
A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UGI. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new stake in UGI during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Financial Advantage Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of UGI during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. UMB Bank N A MO bought a new position in UGI in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Tobam lifted its holdings in shares of UGI by 989.9% in the 1st quarter. Tobam now owns 752 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 683 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Huntington National Bank bought a new stake in UGI in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
UGI stock traded down $0.22 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $39.49. 1,099,601 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,774,102. UGI has a 12-month low of $33.04 and a 12-month high of $48.55. The business has a fifty day moving average of $38.90 and a 200 day moving average of $40.35. The firm has a market cap of $8.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.67, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a current ratio of 1.66.
UGI (NYSE:UGI – Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.88 by $0.03. UGI had a return on equity of 10.80% and a net margin of 16.65%. The company had revenue of $3.47 billion during the quarter. Sell-side analysts predict that UGI will post 2.93 EPS for the current year.
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.65%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 14th. This is a boost from UGI’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. UGI’s dividend payout ratio is 19.71%.
A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on UGI shares. Bank of America cut UGI from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $46.00 to $38.00 in a research note on Monday, March 7th. Barclays lowered their price objective on UGI from $45.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of UGI from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, UGI presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $41.33.
About UGI (Get Rating)
UGI Corporation 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 1.4 million residential, commercial/industrial, motor fuel, agricultural, and wholesale customers through 1,600 propane distribution location.