Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) Shares Gap Down - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Shares gapped down, opening at $23.67 after a $24.82 close and last trading around $23.92 on a volume of 30,244, with a market cap of about $622 million and a negative PE of -10.98.
• Analysts are mixed: the consensus rating is Hold with an average price target of $20 (one Strong Buy, one Hold, one Sell).
• The company beat quarterly expectations (EPS $0.14 vs. -$0.05 estimate; revenue $385.4M vs. $376.1M) but still reported a negative net margin of -3.64%.

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULH - Get Free Report) shares gapped down before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $24.82, but opened at $23.67. Universal Logistics shares last traded at $23.9150, with a volume of 30,244 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on ULH. Zacks Research raised Universal Logistics from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Universal Logistics from $17.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Universal Logistics in a report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Universal Logistics from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Universal Logistics currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $20.00.

Universal Logistics Trading Down 0.3%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.20. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $19.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $17.42. The company has a market cap of $622.02 million, a PE ratio of -10.98 and a beta of 0.71.

Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, March 13th. The transportation company reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.05) by $0.19. Universal Logistics had a positive return on equity of 4.13% and a negative net margin of 3.64%.The company had revenue of $385.43 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $376.10 million. Sell-side analysts forecast that Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. will post 1.06 EPS for the current year.

Universal Logistics Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.105 per share. This represents a $0.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 23rd. Universal Logistics's payout ratio is currently -19.53%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Logistics

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new stake in Universal Logistics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in Universal Logistics by 102.3% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,428 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 722 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Logistics by 403.5% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,130 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 1,707 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new stake in shares of Universal Logistics in the third quarter valued at approximately $102,000. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its position in shares of Universal Logistics by 46.2% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 7,579 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $115,000 after acquiring an additional 2,396 shares during the period. 25.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Universal Logistics Company Profile

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc is a diversified, asset-light third-party logistics provider offering transportation and supply chain solutions across North America and around the globe. Its service portfolio encompasses truckload, less-than-truckload, intermodal, and specialized freight services, supported by dedicated brokerage, warehousing, and distribution management capabilities.

Originally incorporated as Universal Truckload Services, Inc, the company has evolved beyond its core truckload heritage to a one-stop logistics platform.

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