UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI) Position Boosted by Bailard Inc.

Bailard Inc. lifted its stake in shares of UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI) by 86.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 26,159 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,100 shares during the period. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in UGI were worth $644,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in UGI during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in UGI by 92.8% during the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,075 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 999 shares during the period. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in UGI during the fourth quarter worth about $64,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in UGI by 82.5% during the third quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,411 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $78,000 after acquiring an additional 1,542 shares during the period. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in UGI by 32.6% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 4,425 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $102,000 after acquiring an additional 1,089 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 82.34% of the company’s stock.

UGI Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UGI opened at $25.38 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $24.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $23.36. UGI Co. has a 52 week low of $20.19 and a 52 week high of $34.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.32 billion, a P/E ratio of -11.54 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59.

UGI (NYSE:UGI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.08. UGI had a negative net margin of 5.48% and a positive return on equity of 14.09%. The company had revenue of $2.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.98 billion. Analysts anticipate that UGI Co. will post 2.9 earnings per share for the current year.

UGI Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a $0.375 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.91%. UGI’s payout ratio is currently -68.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on UGI shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of UGI from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $27.00 to $28.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. TheStreet upgraded shares of UGI from a “d+” rating to a “c-” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of UGI from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of UGI from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th.

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.