Vest Financial LLC Has $6.91 Million Holdings in UL Solutions Inc. $ULS

Key Points

• Vest Financial LLC increased its stake in UL Solutions by 38% in Q4, boosting its holding to 87,608 shares worth about $6.91 million.
• CEO Jennifer F. Scanlon sold 12,500 shares on April 1 under a pre‑arranged Rule 10b5‑1 plan (≈$1.07 million), reducing her ownership by 5.86%; insiders now own 1.20% of the company.
• UL Solutions beat Q earnings estimates (EPS $0.53 vs. $0.46; revenue $789M vs. $782.4M) and carries a consensus "Moderate Buy" from analysts with an average price target of $88.42 amid several target raises.

Vest Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of UL Solutions Inc. (NYSE:ULS - Free Report) by 38.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 87,608 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 24,143 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC's holdings in UL Solutions were worth $6,909,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ULS. Assetmark Inc. acquired a new position in UL Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in shares of UL Solutions by 3,070.0% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 634 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 614 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers bought a new stake in shares of UL Solutions during the first quarter worth $49,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in shares of UL Solutions by 18.2% during the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 864 shares of the company's stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HM Payson & Co. acquired a new position in shares of UL Solutions during the third quarter valued at $70,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on ULS. Bank of America lifted their price objective on UL Solutions to $86.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of UL Solutions from $97.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on shares of UL Solutions in a research note on Monday, April 20th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of UL Solutions from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of UL Solutions in a research note on Friday, February 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $88.42.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Jennifer F. Scanlon sold 12,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,166,177. This trade represents a 5.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

UL Solutions Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE ULS opened at $88.12 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. UL Solutions Inc. has a twelve month low of $55.38 and a twelve month high of $94.04. The company's fifty day moving average is $84.73 and its 200-day moving average is $81.04. The stock has a market cap of $17.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.42, a P/E/G ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.77.

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

UL Solutions Increases Dividend

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

UL Solutions Company 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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