UGI (NYSE:UGI) Sets New 1-Year High - Here's Why

UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $36.37 and last traded at $36.17, with a volume of 210052 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $36.06.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on UGI. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of UGI from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of UGI from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th.

UGI Trading Down 2.1%

The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $33.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $31.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

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

UGI Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.23%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. UGI's payout ratio is presently 61.73%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in UGI in the fourth quarter worth approximately $103,115,000. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in UGI by 22.4% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 11,529,202 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $325,469,000 after acquiring an additional 2,110,337 shares during the period. Corvex Management LP purchased a new position in UGI in the fourth quarter worth $55,354,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its stake in UGI by 5,776.6% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 1,739,419 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $49,104,000 after purchasing an additional 1,709,820 shares during the period. Finally, Neuberger Berman Group LLC raised its position in UGI by 5,215.3% in the fourth quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 1,560,265 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $44,046,000 after acquiring an additional 1,530,911 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 82.34% of the company's stock.

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.