UGI (NYSE:UGI) Sets New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $33.62 and last traded at $33.57, with a volume of 144547 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $33.23.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on UGI in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $28.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho upgraded shares of UGI from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $27.00 to $30.00 in a report on Friday, November 15th.

UGI Stock Up 2.8 %

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $30.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $27.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The stock has a market cap of $7.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.45, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.21.

UGI (NYSE:UGI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.16. UGI had a return on equity of 15.19% and a net margin of 7.73%. As a group, analysts predict that UGI Co. will post 3.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UGI Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.39%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. UGI’s dividend payout ratio is presently 59.06%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UGI

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UGI. AIA Group Ltd boosted its holdings in UGI by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 18,047 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $509,000 after purchasing an additional 323 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in shares of UGI by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 10,826 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $306,000 after buying an additional 388 shares during the period. State of Wyoming grew its position in shares of UGI by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 10,005 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $282,000 after buying an additional 444 shares during the last quarter. Easterly Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in UGI by 0.8% during the third 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. Finally, Hourglass Capital LLC lifted its holdings in UGI by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Hourglass Capital LLC now owns 82,520 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,330,000 after acquiring an additional 470 shares during the last quarter. 82.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

UGI Company Profile

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.