UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) Stock Has Consensus Price Target of $45.80

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is moderately positive: Eight analysts give UGI a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, with an average 12-month price target of $45.80 versus the reported share price of $37.10.
• Recent earnings missed expectations: UGI reported quarterly EPS of negative $0.20, below the consensus estimate of negative $0.08, while revenue of $1.33 billion also fell short of the $1.50 billion estimate.
• UGI offers a 4.0% dividend yield: The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.375, or $1.50 annualized, representing a 50.17% payout ratio; institutional investors own 82.34% of the stock.

Shares of UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI - Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the eight analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $45.80.

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded UGI from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $40.00 to $43.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on UGI from $45.00 to $42.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 7th. Huntington initiated coverage on UGI in a report on Monday, September 14th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $54.00 price target on the stock. Zacks Research lowered UGI from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut UGI from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday.

UGI Price Performance

UGI stock opened at $37.10 on Friday. UGI has a 12 month low of $31.62 and a 12 month high of $41.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $37.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $36.13. The stock has a market cap of $7.96 billion, a PE ratio of 12.41 and a beta of 0.93.

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

UGI Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were given a $0.3750 dividend. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. UGI's dividend payout ratio is 50.17%.

Institutional Trading of UGI

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of UGI by 4.1% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,733 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $282,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its stake in UGI by 80.1% in the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 724 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in UGI by 45.6% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,268 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 397 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in UGI by 36.3% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,521 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 405 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in UGI by 0.8% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 93,195 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,219,000 after buying an additional 769 shares during the period. 82.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

UGI Company Profile

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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