Vise Technologies Inc. Buys New Holdings in UGI Corporation $UGI

Vise Technologies Inc. purchased a new position in UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 14,942 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $516,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UGI. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of UGI by 45.6% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,268 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 397 shares during the period. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in UGI in the 4th quarter valued at $65,000. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd bought a new stake in UGI during the 2nd quarter valued at $71,000. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in UGI during the second quarter worth $71,000. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC acquired a new position in UGI during the fourth quarter worth $75,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.34% of the company’s stock.

UGI Stock Up 1.6%

UGI opened at $38.18 on Tuesday. UGI Corporation has a 12 month low of $31.62 and a 12 month high of $41.34. The company has a market cap of $8.19 billion, a PE ratio of 12.77 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The company has a 50 day moving average of $35.76 and a 200 day moving average of $36.11.

UGI (NYSE:UGI) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported ($0.20) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.08) by ($0.12). UGI had a net margin of 9.20% and a return on equity of 12.80%. The business had revenue of $1.33 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.50 billion. On average, sell-side analysts expect that UGI Corporation will post 2.85 EPS for the current year.

UGI Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.9%. UGI’s dividend payout ratio is 50.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other UGI news, insider Kathleen Shea-Ballay sold 25,360 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.62, for a total value of $852,603.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 25,360 shares in the company, valued at $852,603.20. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on UGI shares. Wall Street Zen lowered UGI from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and set a $40.00 price target (down from $45.00) on shares of UGI in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Zacks Research lowered UGI from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on UGI from $45.00 to $42.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut UGI from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, UGI currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $42.00.

UGI Profile

UGI Corporation (NYSE: UGI) is a publicly traded energy distribution company headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1882 as the United Gas Improvement Company, UGI has grown into a diversified provider of energy products and services. The company’s operations are organized into three primary segments—AmeriGas Propane, UGI Utilities and UGI International—each focused on the delivery of propane, natural gas and related services to residential, commercial and industrial customers.

AmeriGas Propane, UGI’s largest segment, is the leading retail propane distributor in the United States with a network of dealers serving customers in all 50 states.