Russell Investments Group Ltd. Buys 223,732 Shares of UGI Corporation $UGI

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in UGI Corporation by 30.2%, now holding 965,397 shares valued at approximately $31.93 million.
• Multiple institutional investors, including Cerity Partners LLC and Bessemer Group Inc., have also increased their holdings in UGI, highlighting strong interest from the investment community.
• UGI recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.375 per share, representing a 4.2% dividend yield, with a payout ratio of 78.95%.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in shares of UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI - Free Report) by 30.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 965,397 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 223,732 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.45% of UGI worth $31,925,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in UGI in the first quarter worth approximately $338,000. Red Door Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in UGI in the first quarter worth $230,000. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in UGI by 945.7% during the first quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 17,171 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $568,000 after buying an additional 15,529 shares during the last quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management bought a new position in UGI during the first quarter valued at about $5,176,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of UGI by 190.8% in the fourth quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 34,158 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $964,000 after buying an additional 22,411 shares during the last quarter. 82.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on UGI. Wall Street Zen cut UGI from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Mizuho lifted their target price 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 raised UGI to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $31.33.

UGI Stock Performance

NYSE:UGI traded down $0.65 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $34.58. 995,958 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,945,915. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. UGI Corporation has a twelve month low of $23.14 and a twelve month high of $37.42. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $35.92 and a 200 day moving average of $34.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.05.

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

UGI Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. UGI's payout ratio is 78.95%.

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.