UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI) Position Trimmed by Hennessy Advisors Inc.

Hennessy Advisors Inc. lessened its stake in shares of UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI - Free Report) by 8.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,168,952 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 206,800 shares during the quarter. UGI comprises about 2.4% of Hennessy Advisors Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Hennessy Advisors Inc. owned 1.01% of UGI worth $71,727,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of UGI during the 4th quarter valued at $103,115,000. FMR LLC boosted its stake in UGI by 22.4% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 11,529,202 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $325,469,000 after buying an additional 2,110,337 shares in the last quarter. Corvex Management LP acquired a new position in UGI during the fourth quarter worth about $55,354,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its holdings in UGI by 5,776.6% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 1,739,419 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $49,104,000 after acquiring an additional 1,709,820 shares during the period. Finally, Neuberger Berman Group LLC raised its position in UGI by 5,215.3% in the fourth quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 1,560,265 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $44,046,000 after acquiring an additional 1,530,911 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.34% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on UGI. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of UGI from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of UGI from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday.

UGI Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE UGI traded down $0.43 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $36.16. 1,978,114 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,093,289. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. UGI Co. has a 1 year low of $22.01 and a 1 year high of $36.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.23, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.06. The business has a 50 day moving average of $34.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $31.94.

UGI (NYSE:UGI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.41. UGI had a return on equity of 15.19% and a net margin of 7.73%. The firm had revenue of $2.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.26 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.97 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that UGI Co. will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UGI Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. UGI's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.73%.

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.