Zacks Research Downgrades Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) to Hold

Key Points

• Zacks Research downgraded Universal Logistics (ULH) from "strong-buy" to "hold," and MarketBeat reports the stock's consensus is "Reduce" with an average target price of $17.
• Universal Logistics missed Q1 estimates, reporting EPS of ($0.13) vs. $0.09 expected and revenue of $367.6M vs. $372.3M, while the shares trade around $13.42—below its 50‑day and 200‑day moving averages—and the company reported a negative net margin.

Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH - Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on ULH. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Universal Logistics in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Universal Logistics from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Universal Logistics from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $17.00.

Universal Logistics Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ULH opened at $13.42 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $19.50 and a 200 day moving average of $17.42. The stock has a market cap of $353.62 million, a P/E ratio of -5.35 and a beta of 0.79. Universal Logistics has a 12 month low of $12.17 and a 12 month high of $30.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26.

Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The transportation company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.09 by ($0.22). The firm had revenue of $367.58 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $372.30 million. Universal Logistics had a negative net margin of 4.29% and a positive return on equity of 2.61%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Universal Logistics will post 0.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Logistics

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. State of Alaska Department of Revenue bought a new stake in shares of Universal Logistics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in Universal Logistics by 102.3% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,428 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 722 shares during the last quarter. Archer Investment Corp bought a new stake in Universal Logistics during the 1st quarter valued at $48,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its holdings in Universal Logistics by 403.5% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,130 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 1,707 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC bought a new stake in Universal Logistics during the 3rd quarter valued at $102,000. 25.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Universal Logistics

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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