Needham Investment Management LLC Sells 10,000 Shares of UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI)

Needham Investment Management LLC trimmed its stake in UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI - Free Report) by 50.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 10,000 shares during the period. Needham Investment Management LLC's holdings in UGI were worth $282,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new position in UGI in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in UGI by 216.7% in the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 893 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 611 shares during the period. S.A. Mason LLC bought a new position in UGI in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. GeoWealth Management LLC bought a new position in UGI in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in UGI in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. 82.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UGI has been the topic of several recent research reports. Mizuho lifted their price objective on UGI from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday. StockNews.com raised UGI from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other UGI news, insider Michael Sharp acquired 4,806 shares of UGI stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were bought at an average price of $33.30 per share, with a total value of $160,039.80. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now owns 4,806 shares in the company, valued at $160,039.80. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.73% of the company's stock.

UGI Price Performance

UGI stock traded up $0.17 during trading on Friday, hitting $35.48. The company had a trading volume of 1,432,117 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,230,631. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $32.81 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $30.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The company has a market cap of $7.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.05. UGI Co. has a fifty-two week low of $22.01 and a fifty-two week high of $35.49.

UGI (NYSE:UGI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.21 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $2.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.26 billion. UGI had a return on equity of 15.19% and a net margin of 7.73%. The business's revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.97 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that UGI Co. will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UGI Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. UGI's dividend payout ratio is currently 61.73%.

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.