UGI (NYSE:UGI) Hits New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $30.49 and last traded at $30.32, with a volume of 986 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $30.09.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on UGI. Mizuho upgraded UGI from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $27.00 to $30.00 in a report on Friday, November 15th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on UGI in a report on Friday, November 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $28.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on UGI from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, UGI has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $28.33.

UGI Stock Down 0.9 %

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 50 day simple moving average of $28.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $25.57. The stock has a market cap of $6.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.41 and a beta of 1.21.

UGI Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a $0.375 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.96%. UGI’s dividend payout ratio is 120.97%.

Institutional Trading of UGI

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UGI. Easterly Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of UGI by 0.8% during the third quarter. Easterly Investment Partners LLC now owns 59,238 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,482,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. Wright Investors Service Inc. increased its stake in shares of UGI by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Wright Investors Service Inc. now owns 37,206 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,050,000 after purchasing an additional 484 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of UGI by 0.4% during the third quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 110,875 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,774,000 after purchasing an additional 489 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in shares of UGI by 7.2% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 7,885 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $197,000 after purchasing an additional 531 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of UGI by 67.1% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,345 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 540 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 82.34% of the company’s stock.

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.