UGI (NYSE:UGI) Share Price Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Here’s What Happened

UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $36.45 and traded as high as $37.01. UGI shares last traded at $36.8450, with a volume of 1,367,205 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on UGI. Weiss Ratings raised shares of UGI from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and set a $40.00 price objective (down from $45.00) on shares of UGI in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of UGI in a research report on Monday, May 11th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $46.00 price target for the company. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of UGI from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.33.

UGI Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.00. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $35.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $36.45. The firm has a market cap of $7.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.93 and a beta of 0.93.

UGI (NYSE:UGI) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by ($0.02). UGI had a net margin of 8.71% and a return on equity of 13.81%. The firm had revenue of $2.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.21 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that UGI Corporation will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UGI Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a $0.375 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.1%. UGI’s dividend payout ratio is presently 52.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling at UGI

In related news, insider Kathleen Shea-Ballay sold 25,360 shares of UGI stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.62, for a total transaction of $852,603.20. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 25,360 shares in the company, valued at $852,603.20. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of UGI

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in UGI by 45.6% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,268 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 397 shares during the period. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UGI in the fourth quarter valued at $65,000. Colonial Trust Co SC bought a new position in UGI during the fourth quarter valued at about $75,000. Horizon Investments LLC acquired a new position in UGI during the fourth quarter worth about $93,000. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its holdings in UGI by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 3,559 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $133,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. 82.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About UGI

UGI Corporation (NYSE: UGI) is a publicly traded energy distribution company headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1882 as the United Gas Improvement Company, UGI has grown into a diversified provider of energy products and services. The company’s operations are organized into three primary segments—AmeriGas Propane, UGI Utilities and UGI International—each focused on the delivery of propane, natural gas and related services to residential, commercial and industrial customers.

AmeriGas Propane, UGI’s largest segment, is the leading retail propane distributor in the United States with a network of dealers serving customers in all 50 states.