Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) Shares Cross Above 50 Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Universal Logistics shares rose above their 50-day moving average, reaching $22.89 and last trading at $22.59, well above the $17.78 average.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: the stock has a consensus “Reduce” rating and a $15 average price target, despite mixed upgrades and downgrades.
• The company beat quarterly expectations with adjusted EPS of $0.69 versus a $0.32 consensus and revenue of $394.05 million, while announcing a quarterly dividend of $0.105 per share.

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULH - Get Free Report) shares passed above its 50-day moving average during trading on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $17.78 and traded as high as $22.89. Universal Logistics shares last traded at $22.59, with a volume of 182,843 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on ULH shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Universal Logistics in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Universal Logistics from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. Zacks Research upgraded Universal Logistics from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, September 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Universal Logistics from $17.00 to $15.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Universal Logistics has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $15.00.

Universal Logistics Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $595.70 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.37 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $17.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $17.38. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06.

Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The transportation company reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.37. Universal Logistics had a return on equity of 4.11% and a net margin of 2.92%. The firm had revenue of $394.05 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $390.00 million. On average, equities research analysts expect that Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. will post 0.50 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Logistics Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be given a dividend of $0.1050 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 1st. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. Universal Logistics's dividend payout ratio is presently -22.83%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ULH. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of Universal Logistics in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,423,000. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Universal Logistics in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $8,082,000. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Logistics in the second quarter valued at $75,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Logistics during the 2nd quarter worth about $2,770,000. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its position in Universal Logistics by 118.9% during the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 37,766 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $798,000 after acquiring an additional 20,511 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 25.50% of the company's stock.

About Universal Logistics

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc provides transportation and logistics services throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. The company serves automotive, industrial, retail and other commercial customers with customized supply-chain solutions designed to move freight and support manufacturing and distribution operations.

Its services include contract logistics, dedicated transportation, truckload and intermodal transportation, freight brokerage, drayage, and value-added services.

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