Energy Income Partners LLC Raises Stake in UGI Corporation $UGI

Key Points

• Energy Income Partners LLC increased its stake in UGI Corporation by 3.1%, now owning approximately 1.55 million shares valued at $51.4 million.
• UGI Corporation recently reported earnings of ($0.01) EPS, exceeding analysts' estimates, while the firm had revenue of $1.39 billion for the quarter, up 1% year-over-year.
• The company is set to pay a quarterly dividend of $0.375 on October 1st, with a yield of 4.3% and a payout ratio of 78.95%.

Energy Income Partners LLC increased its stake in UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI - Free Report) by 3.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,554,344 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 47,423 shares during the period. Energy Income Partners LLC owned 0.72% of UGI worth $51,402,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of UGI during the 1st quarter worth about $51,000. State of Wyoming boosted its position in shares of UGI by 120.3% during the 1st quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 22,041 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $729,000 after acquiring an additional 12,036 shares in the last quarter. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. acquired a new stake in UGI in the first quarter valued at approximately $633,000. Northstar Financial Companies Inc. boosted its position in UGI by 11.3% in the first quarter. Northstar Financial Companies Inc. now owns 16,361 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $541,000 after buying an additional 1,666 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of UGI during the first quarter valued at $86,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.34% of the company's stock.

UGI Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of UGI stock traded down $0.26 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $33.99. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,212,420 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,741,084. The company has a market cap of $7.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.89, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.06. UGI Corporation has a 52-week low of $23.14 and a 52-week high of $37.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The firm's 50-day moving average is $35.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $34.42.

UGI (NYSE:UGI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported ($0.01) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.12) by $0.11. UGI had a net margin of 5.70% and a return on equity of 15.73%. The business had revenue of $1.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.77 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.06 EPS. The company's revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that UGI Corporation will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current year.

UGI Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. UGI's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 78.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of UGI from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of UGI from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of UGI to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, UGI presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $31.33.

About UGI

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.