UGI (NYSE:UGI) Earns Buy Rating from Analysts at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of UGI (NYSE:UGI) in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating and a $28.00 price objective on the utilities provider’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on UGI. Mizuho raised shares of 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 research report on Friday, November 15th. StockNews.com downgraded UGI from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on UGI from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, UGI presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $28.33.

UGI Stock Performance

NYSE:UGI opened at $28.50 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $24.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $24.10. UGI has a 1-year low of $21.51 and a 1-year high of $28.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.98 and a beta of 1.13.

UGI Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.26%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. UGI’s payout ratio is 120.97%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UGI

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Whittier Trust Co. boosted its stake in UGI by 99.7% in the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 1,198 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 598 shares during the last quarter. Concord Wealth Partners raised its holdings in UGI by 100.0% in the third quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 1,274 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 637 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in UGI during the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in UGI during the second quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of UGI in the second quarter worth $40,000. Hedge funds and other 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.