Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULH) Short Interest Up 3,131.6% in July

Key Points

• Short interest in Universal Logistics surged by 3,131.6% in July, bringing the total to 316,700 shares, which amounts to 4.8% of the company's stock.
• The company missed earnings estimates for the quarter, reporting an EPS of $0.32 compared to the consensus estimate of $0.34.
• Universal Logistics declared a quarterly dividend of $0.105 per share, with an annualized yield of 1.8%, to be paid on October 1st.

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULH - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 316,700 shares, agrowthof3,131.6% from the June 30th total of 9,800 shares. Approximately4.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 53,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.9 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 53,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.9 days. Approximately4.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ULH has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Universal Logistics from $37.00 to $29.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Universal Logistics from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Logistics

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ULH. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in Universal Logistics in the 4th quarter worth $64,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its stake in Universal Logistics by 31.0% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 3,708 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $170,000 after buying an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in Universal Logistics in the 4th quarter worth $218,000. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Universal Logistics during the 4th quarter valued at about $293,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in shares of Universal Logistics by 47.1% during the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 6,976 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $320,000 after purchasing an additional 2,235 shares during the last quarter. 25.50% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Universal Logistics Stock Down 5.3%

Shares of ULH traded down $1.27 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $22.66. The company had a trading volume of 34,216 shares, compared to its average volume of 58,750. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a current ratio of 1.18. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $25.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $28.02. Universal Logistics has a 52 week low of $20.60 and a 52 week high of $53.29. The company has a market capitalization of $596.64 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.73 and a beta of 1.00.

Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The transportation company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.34 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $393.79 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $398.50 million. Universal Logistics had a net margin of 3.66% and a return on equity of 9.52%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Universal Logistics will post 2.81 EPS for the current year.

Universal Logistics Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 1st will be paid a $0.105 dividend. This represents a $0.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. Universal Logistics's dividend payout ratio is 18.03%.

Universal Logistics Company Profile

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc provides transportation and logistics solutions in the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Colombia. The company offers truckload services, which include dry van, flatbed, heavy-haul, and refrigerated operations; domestic and international freight forwarding, and customs brokerage services.