UGI (NYSE:UGI) Upgraded to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded UGI from “sell” to “hold.” Despite the change, the broader analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy,” with a consensus price target of $45.80.
• UGI shares opened at $38.46, with a market capitalization of approximately $8.25 billion and a 52-week range of $31.65 to $41.34.
• UGI’s latest quarterly results fell short of expectations, reporting a $0.20 loss per share versus a projected $0.08 loss and revenue of $1.33 billion versus the $1.50 billion consensus estimate.

UGI (NYSE:UGI - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Sunday, Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on UGI. Huntington assumed coverage on UGI in a research report on Monday, September 14th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $54.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of UGI from $45.00 to $42.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of UGI from a "buy (b)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of UGI from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $40.00 to $43.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, Scotiabank initiated coverage on shares of UGI in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $46.00 target price for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $45.80.

UGI Stock Performance

Shares of UGI opened at $38.46 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. UGI has a 52-week low of $31.65 and a 52-week high of $41.34. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $37.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $36.17. The company has a market capitalization of $8.25 billion, a PE ratio of 12.86 and a beta of 0.93.

UGI (NYSE:UGI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported ($0.20) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.08) by ($0.12). UGI had a return on equity of 12.80% and a net margin of 9.20%. The company had revenue of $1.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.50 billion. Equities research analysts predict that UGI will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UGI

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its stake in shares of UGI by 80.1% during the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 724 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares during the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. purchased a new position in UGI in the 3rd quarter valued at about $43,000. Aberdeen Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UGI during the 2nd quarter worth about $42,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of UGI by 45.6% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,268 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 397 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. acquired a new position in shares of UGI in the second quarter valued at approximately $53,000. 82.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About UGI

UGI Corporation is a diversified energy company headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. Through its subsidiaries, the company distributes and markets natural gas, propane, electricity and related energy products to residential, commercial, industrial and institutional customers.

UGI Utilities operates regulated natural gas and electric distribution businesses in Pennsylvania and provides natural gas, electric and related services to customers in the region. The company also owns AmeriGas, one of the largest retail propane distributors in the United States, serving households, businesses, agricultural customers and other end users through a nationwide distribution network.

UGI has additional energy operations in Europe through its international LPG businesses and participates in energy marketing, midstream and related activities.

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