UGI (NYSE:UGI) Reaches New 52-Week High After Dividend Announcement

UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday after the company announced a dividend. The company traded as high as $26.15 and last traded at $26.06, with a volume of 647842 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $24.78.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a $0.375 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.26%. UGI’s payout ratio is 120.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on UGI. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of UGI from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on UGI in a research report on Friday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $28.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com cut UGI from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Mizuho raised UGI from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $27.00 to $30.00 in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $28.33.

UGI Trading Up 15.0 %

The company has a market cap of $6.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.00 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $24.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $24.10.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Easterly Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in UGI by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Easterly Investment Partners LLC now owns 59,238 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,482,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in UGI by 0.4% in the third quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 110,875 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,774,000 after buying an additional 489 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in UGI by 24.2% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,627 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 512 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in UGI by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 7,885 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $197,000 after acquiring an additional 531 shares during the period. Finally, Glenmede Trust Co. NA raised its position in shares of UGI by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 22,034 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $551,000 after acquiring an additional 541 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.34% of the company’s stock.

UGI Company Profile

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.