Phocas Financial Corp. Makes New $4.27 Million Investment in UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI)

Phocas Financial Corp. bought a new stake in shares of UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 173,567 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,270,000. Phocas Financial Corp. owned 0.08% of UGI as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in UGI by 165.4% during the 4th quarter. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC now owns 690 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 430 shares during the period. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of UGI in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd bought a new stake in shares of UGI in the 2nd quarter valued at about $40,000. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in shares of UGI by 92.8% in the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,075 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 999 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of UGI by 1,379.1% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 1,346 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 1,255 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.34% of the company's stock.

UGI Stock Performance

UGI traded down $0.55 during trading on Friday, reaching $23.46. 1,446,810 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,945,635. UGI Co. has a 1 year low of $20.19 and a 1 year high of $35.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.92 billion, a P/E ratio of -10.66 and a beta of 1.16. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $24.34 and its 200-day simple moving average is $23.17.

UGI (NYSE:UGI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.08. UGI had a negative net margin of 5.48% and a positive return on equity of 14.09%. The company had revenue of $2.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.98 billion. As a group, research analysts predict that UGI Co. will post 2.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UGI Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. UGI's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -68.18%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of UGI from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and raised their price target for the company from $27.00 to $28.00 in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of UGI from $29.00 to $26.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 18th. TheStreet upgraded shares of UGI from a "d+" rating to a "c-" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of UGI from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th.

UGI 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.