UGI (NYSE:UGI) Shares Gap Down to $25.89

Shares of UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI - Get Free Report) gapped down before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $25.89, but opened at $24.85. UGI shares last traded at $24.25, with a volume of 814,098 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UGI has been the subject of several recent research reports. TheStreet upgraded shares of UGI from a "d+" rating to a "c-" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of UGI from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $27.00 to $28.00 in a report on Thursday, March 14th. StockNews.com lowered shares of UGI from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of UGI from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 17th.

UGI Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $5.08 billion, a PE ratio of -11.01 and a beta of 1.13. The business's fifty day moving average is $24.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $23.46. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59.

UGI (NYSE:UGI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.32. UGI had a negative net margin of 5.48% and a positive return on equity of 14.09%. The company had revenue of $2.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.68 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that UGI Co. will post 2.9 earnings per share for the current year.

UGI Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be given a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 14th. UGI's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -68.18%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UGI

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in UGI by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,897,100 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $661,669,000 after purchasing an additional 625,128 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its position in shares of UGI by 503.8% during the 3rd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 2,904,763 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $66,810,000 after acquiring an additional 2,423,713 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its position in shares of UGI by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 2,502,192 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $61,554,000 after acquiring an additional 130,010 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of UGI during the 4th quarter valued at $46,034,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in shares of UGI by 19.9% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,673,993 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $41,181,000 after acquiring an additional 277,502 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 82.34% of the company's stock.

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.