UL Solutions Inc. $ULS Shares Acquired by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its stake in UL Solutions by 440.2% in Q4 to 76,613 shares worth $6.04 million, while other institutions (including Allspring and Envestnet) also materially added to their positions.
• CEO Jennifer F. Scanlon sold 12,500 shares at $85.50 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan (a 5.86% reduction in her holding); corporate insiders now own about 1.20% of the company.
• UL Solutions beat Q4 EPS estimates ($0.53 vs. $0.46) with revenue up 6.8%, raised its quarterly dividend to $0.145 (annualized $0.58, yield ~0.7%), and carries a consensus analyst rating of Moderate Buy with a $88.42 target.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH grew its position in UL Solutions Inc. (NYSE:ULS - Free Report) by 440.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 76,613 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 62,430 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH's holdings in UL Solutions were worth $6,042,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ULS. TD Private Client Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in UL Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,681,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in UL Solutions by 12.1% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,550,913 shares of the company's stock worth $125,484,000 after buying an additional 167,564 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in UL Solutions by 405.7% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 593,484 shares of the company's stock worth $42,054,000 after buying an additional 476,121 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in UL Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,436,000. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its holdings in UL Solutions by 25.0% during the 3rd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 821,596 shares of the company's stock worth $58,218,000 after buying an additional 164,396 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Activity at UL Solutions

In related news, CEO Jennifer F. Scanlon sold 12,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.50, for a total value of $1,068,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 200,774 shares in the company, valued at $17,166,177. This represents a 5.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

UL Solutions Price Performance

UL Solutions stock opened at $88.48 on Tuesday. UL Solutions Inc. has a 1 year low of $55.38 and a 1 year high of $94.04. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $84.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $80.93. The company has a market cap of $17.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.65, a PEG ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a current ratio of 1.32.

UL Solutions (NYSE:ULS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.07. UL Solutions had a net margin of 10.61% and a return on equity of 31.62%. The company had revenue of $789.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $782.37 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.49 earnings per share. UL Solutions's revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that UL Solutions Inc. will post 2.02 earnings per share for the current year.

UL Solutions Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were given a dividend of $0.145 per share. This is an increase from UL Solutions's previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. This represents a $0.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 2nd. UL Solutions's payout ratio is currently 36.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of UL Solutions in a research report on Friday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of UL Solutions from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of UL Solutions to $86.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of UL Solutions from $88.10 to $87.80 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of UL Solutions from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $88.42.

UL Solutions Profile

UL Solutions NYSE: ULS is a global safety science company that provides testing, inspection, certification, advisory and digital solutions designed to help organizations manage risk, ensure regulatory compliance and drive innovation. With roots dating back to 1894 when it was founded as Underwriters' Electrical Bureau, the company rebranded as UL Solutions following its initial public offering in 2022. Headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, UL Solutions operates independently to serve a broad range of industries with an emphasis on product safety, performance and sustainability.

The company's core services include standards development, product testing and certification for sectors such as building products, consumer electronics, automotive, life sciences, energy and industrial equipment.

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