UGI (NYSE:UGI) Sets New 12-Month High - Time to Buy?

UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Friday . The stock traded as high as $33.62 and last traded at $33.57, with a volume of 144547 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $33.23.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on UGI. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on UGI in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $28.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho raised UGI from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their target price for the company from $27.00 to $30.00 in a research report on Friday, November 15th.

UGI Trading Down 2.6 %

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $30.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $27.27. The company has a market cap of $7.11 billion, a PE ratio of 13.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

UGI (NYSE:UGI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.16. UGI had a return on equity of 15.19% and a net margin of 7.73%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that UGI Co. will post 3.02 EPS for the current year.

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UGI Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.53%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. UGI's payout ratio is presently 59.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling at UGI

In other UGI news, insider Michael Sharp purchased 4,806 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $33.30 per share, for a total transaction of $160,039.80. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 4,806 shares in the company, valued at $160,039.80. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.73% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of UGI

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Citigroup Inc. boosted its position in shares of UGI by 33.0% during the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of UGI by 2,402.0% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 26,046 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $652,000 after acquiring an additional 25,005 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its position in UGI by 42.0% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,418,865 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $235,660,000 after buying an additional 2,786,878 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in UGI by 35.1% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,227,732 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $30,718,000 after buying an additional 318,655 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Commerce Bank bought a new stake in UGI in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $645,000. 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.