Wall Street Zen Upgrades UL Solutions (NYSE:ULS) to "Buy"

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded UL Solutions from “hold” to “buy,” adding to a generally positive analyst backdrop for the stock.
• Other firms remain mixed but supportive overall: UL Solutions currently has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a consensus price target of $101.54.
• The company recently beat quarterly expectations, reporting $0.50 EPS versus $0.42 expected and $758 million in revenue, while revenue rose 7.5% year over year.

UL Solutions (NYSE:ULS - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on ULS. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on UL Solutions in a research note on Monday, April 20th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $95.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America lifted their price objective on UL Solutions to $86.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on UL Solutions from $87.80 to $106.40 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on UL Solutions from $90.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of UL Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $101.54.

UL Solutions Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE ULS opened at $98.95 on Friday. UL Solutions has a twelve month low of $61.64 and a twelve month high of $107.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $88.55 and a 200-day simple moving average of $82.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.94 billion, a PE ratio of 57.87, a PEG ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.59.

UL Solutions (NYSE:ULS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.42 by $0.08. UL Solutions had a return on equity of 30.99% and a net margin of 11.24%.The business had revenue of $758.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $748.50 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.37 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that UL Solutions will post 2.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Gitte Schjotz sold 8,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.96, for a total transaction of $831,680.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 81,221 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,443,735.16. The trade was a 8.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jennifer F. Scanlon sold 12,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.57, for a total value of $1,144,625.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 188,274 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,240,250.18. This represents a 6.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 39,100 shares of company stock valued at $3,655,055 in the last three months. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of UL Solutions

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in UL Solutions by 18.2% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 864 shares of the company's stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC raised its stake in UL Solutions by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 3,541 shares of the company's stock valued at $251,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Advisor OS LLC raised its stake in UL Solutions by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Advisor OS LLC now owns 3,477 shares of the company's stock valued at $274,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC raised its stake in UL Solutions by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 4,174 shares of the company's stock valued at $304,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in UL Solutions by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 15,155 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,195,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares during the last quarter.

About UL Solutions

UL Solutions NYSE: ULS is a global safety science company that provides testing, inspection, certification, advisory and digital solutions designed to help organizations manage risk, ensure regulatory compliance and drive innovation. With roots dating back to 1894 when it was founded as Underwriters' Electrical Bureau, the company rebranded as UL Solutions following its initial public offering in 2022. Headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, UL Solutions operates independently to serve a broad range of industries with an emphasis on product safety, performance and sustainability.

The company's core services include standards development, product testing and certification for sectors such as building products, consumer electronics, automotive, life sciences, energy and industrial equipment.

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