UL Solutions Inc. (NYSE:ULS) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

UL Solutions Inc. (NYSE:ULS - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twelve analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $51.45.

A number of research analysts recently commented on ULS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of UL Solutions from $51.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Citigroup increased their price objective on UL Solutions from $60.00 to $60.50 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on UL Solutions from $55.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st.

UL Solutions Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of ULS traded down $0.51 during trading on Friday, reaching $54.67. The company's stock had a trading volume of 55,434 shares, compared to its average volume of 714,165. UL Solutions has a twelve month low of $33.50 and a twelve month high of $59.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The company has a market cap of $10.94 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.81. The company has a fifty day moving average of $54.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $52.71.

UL Solutions (NYSE:ULS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.11. UL Solutions had a return on equity of 44.52% and a net margin of 11.36%. The company had revenue of $739.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $726.54 million. On average, sell-side analysts predict that UL Solutions will post 1.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UL Solutions Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This is a boost from UL Solutions's previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. UL Solutions's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.10%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Alberto Uggetti sold 1,938 shares of UL Solutions stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.00, for a total transaction of $102,714.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,285 shares of the company's stock, valued at $492,105. This trade represents a 17.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UL Solutions

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ULS. Quarry LP bought a new stake in UL Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of UL Solutions by 653.9% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 671 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 582 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers acquired a new stake in UL Solutions during the first quarter worth approximately $49,000. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. lifted its holdings in UL Solutions by 23.5% during the 4th quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. now owns 2,100 shares of the company's stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV acquired a new stake in shares of UL Solutions during the fourth quarter worth $163,000.

About UL Solutions

UL Solutions Inc provides safety science services worldwide. It operates through three segments: Industrial, Consumer, and Software and Advisory. The Industrial segment provides testing, inspection, and certification services across various end markets, including energy, industrial automation, engineered materials, and built environment, as well as stakeholders, such as manufacturers, building owners, end users, and regulators.