UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) Short Interest Up 444,185.7% in July

UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) saw a significant growth in short interest in July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 9,330,000 shares, agrowthof444,185.7% from the June 30th total of 2,100 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,850,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.0 days. Based on an average trading volume of 1,850,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.0 days.

UGI Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE:UGI opened at $36.09 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.23. UGI has a one year low of $23.09 and a one year high of $37.42. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $35.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $33.79. The stock has a market cap of $7.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.05.

UGI (NYSE:UGI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $2.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.26 billion. UGI had a return on equity of 16.21% and a net margin of 7.28%. UGI’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.97 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that UGI will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UGI Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 16th. UGI’s payout ratio is currently 61.73%.

Institutional Trading of UGI

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in shares of UGI by 216.7% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 893 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 611 shares during the period. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of UGI during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. CX Institutional acquired a new stake in shares of UGI during the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. GeoWealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UGI during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA raised its position in shares of UGI by 36.1% during the 1st quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,395 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares during the period. 82.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on UGI shares. Wall Street Zen cut UGI from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Mizuho boosted their price target on UGI from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th.

About UGI

UGI Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, distributes, stores, transports, and markets energy products and related services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through four segments: AmeriGas Propane, UGI International, Midstream & Marketing, and UGI Utilities. It distributes propane to approximately 1.3 million residential, commercial/industrial, motor fuel, agricultural, and wholesale customers through 1,400 propane distribution locations.