UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI) Stake Lowered by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV reduced its position in UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI - Free Report) by 33.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 69,806 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 34,485 shares during the period. KBC Group NV's holdings in UGI were worth $1,971,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Citigroup Inc. lifted its position in shares of UGI by 33.0% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 203,313 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $5,087,000 after acquiring an additional 50,485 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of UGI by 2,402.0% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 26,046 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $652,000 after buying an additional 25,005 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of UGI by 42.0% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,418,865 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $235,660,000 after purchasing an additional 2,786,878 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of UGI by 35.1% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,227,732 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $30,718,000 after acquiring an additional 318,655 shares during the period. Finally, Commerce Bank acquired a new position in shares of UGI during the third quarter worth about $645,000. 82.34% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UGI Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of UGI stock traded up $0.29 on Wednesday, reaching $31.35. 1,756,331 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,815,289. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $29.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $26.07. UGI Co. has a 1-year low of $22.01 and a 1-year high of $31.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48. The stock has a market cap of $6.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.28 and a beta of 1.21.

UGI (NYSE:UGI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.16. UGI had a net margin of 3.73% and a return on equity of 14.64%. On average, research analysts anticipate that UGI Co. will post 3 EPS for the current year.

UGI Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.78%. UGI's payout ratio is 120.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on UGI in a report on Friday, November 22nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $28.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on UGI from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Mizuho raised shares of UGI from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price target for the company from $27.00 to $30.00 in a report on Friday, November 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $28.33.

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.