UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 12,920,000 shares, an increase of 18.8% from the November 30th total of 10,880,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,360,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.5 days.

UGI Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UGI traded up $0.07 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $28.23. 1,460,026 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,222,351. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $26.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $24.89. UGI has a 1-year low of $21.67 and a 1-year high of $30.48. 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 firm has a market cap of $6.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.77 and a beta of 1.21.

UGI Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.31%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. UGI's payout ratio is 120.97%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC increased its position in UGI by 42.0% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,418,865 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $235,660,000 after purchasing an additional 2,786,878 shares during the period. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new position in UGI in the second quarter worth $53,371,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of UGI by 33.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,762,970 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $127,246,000 after purchasing an additional 1,202,938 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of UGI by 84.9% during the 2nd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 2,445,010 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $55,991,000 after purchasing an additional 1,122,766 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of UGI by 112.7% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,025,457 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $46,383,000 after purchasing an additional 1,073,013 shares in the last quarter. 82.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.

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