UGI (NYSE:UGI) Sees Large Volume Increase

UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI - Get Free Report) shares saw unusually-strong trading volume on Friday . Approximately 4,063,356 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 105% from the previous session's volume of 1,982,680 shares.The stock last traded at $25.31 and had previously closed at $23.79.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on UGI shares. StockNews.com downgraded UGI from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded UGI from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $27.00 to $28.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Mizuho upped their target price on UGI from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, TheStreet raised UGI from a "d+" rating to a "c-" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st.

UGI Trading Up 8.2 %

The company has a 50 day moving average of $24.34 and a 200 day moving average of $23.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -11.70 and a beta of 1.16.

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

UGI Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. UGI's dividend payout ratio is presently -68.18%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UGI

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 430 shares during the period. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in UGI during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. American National Bank purchased a new position in UGI during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in UGI by 66.8% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,226 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 491 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in UGI during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. 82.34% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About UGI

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.