UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI) Plans Quarterly Dividend of $0.38

UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI - Get Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, February 5th,RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of 0.375 per share by the utilities provider on Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th.

UGI has raised its dividend payment by an average of 3.2% annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 22 years. UGI has a payout ratio of 49.3% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect UGI to earn $3.09 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.50 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 48.5%.

UGI Stock Performance

Shares of UGI stock traded up $0.02 on Friday, hitting $32.03. 3,401,487 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,850,041. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.88 billion, a PE ratio of 12.61, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.21. UGI has a 1 year low of $22.01 and a 1 year high of $32.63. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $29.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $26.22.

UGI (NYSE:UGI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.16. UGI had a return on equity of 15.21% and a net margin of 7.73%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that UGI will post 3 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on UGI shares. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of UGI in a report on Friday, November 22nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $28.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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. Finally, Mizuho raised UGI from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price target for the company from $27.00 to $30.00 in a report on Friday, November 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average 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.