Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Buy

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Wednesday morning.

Separately, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Universal Logistics from $36.00 to $35.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 14th.

Universal Logistics Stock Performance

NASDAQ ULH opened at $25.70 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $29.76 and its 200-day moving average is $28.68. The firm has a market cap of $675.65 million, a P/E ratio of 5.18 and a beta of 1.19. Universal Logistics has a 12-month low of $24.10 and a 12-month high of $45.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63.

Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 27th. The transportation company reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.01 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $412.57 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $448.10 million. Universal Logistics had a net margin of 7.19% and a return on equity of 28.66%. Sell-side analysts predict that Universal Logistics will post 3.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Logistics Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 4th will be issued a $0.105 dividend. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 31st. Universal Logistics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.47%.

Insider Activity

In other Universal Logistics news, Director Matthew T. Moroun purchased 14,303,973 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 1st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $24.62 per share, for a total transaction of $352,163,815.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,866,015 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $292,141,289.30. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 73.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Point72 Middle East FZE bought a new stake in shares of Universal Logistics during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. State of Wyoming grew its stake in Universal Logistics by 23.8% during the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 2,063 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 396 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its stake in Universal Logistics by 532.5% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,929 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $65,000 after acquiring an additional 1,624 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its stake in Universal Logistics by 82.5% during the second quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 2,709 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $78,000 after acquiring an additional 1,225 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Universal Logistics by 20.0% during the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 3,139 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $90,000 after acquiring an additional 523 shares in the last quarter. 24.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Universal Logistics

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc provides transportation and logistics solutions in the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Colombia. It offers truckload services, which include dry van, flatbed, heavy-haul, and refrigerated operations; domestic and international freight forwarding, and customs brokerage services.