Jefferies Financial Group Initiates Coverage on UGI (NYSE:UGI)

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

UGI has been the subject of a number of other research reports. StockNews.com cut UGI from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Mizuho upgraded shares of UGI from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $27.00 to $30.00 in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on UGI from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company 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 MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $28.33.

UGI Stock Performance

UGI opened at $29.34 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. The stock has a market cap of $6.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.66 and a beta of 1.13. UGI has a 12-month low of $21.51 and a 12-month high of $29.51. The business has a 50 day moving average of $24.51 and a 200-day moving average of $24.12.

UGI Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.11%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. UGI’s payout ratio is 120.97%.

Institutional Trading of UGI

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Whittier Trust Co. raised its stake in shares of UGI by 99.7% during the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 1,198 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 598 shares during the last quarter. Concord Wealth Partners lifted its stake in shares of UGI by 100.0% in the third quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 1,274 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 637 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in UGI in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. bought a new stake in UGI in the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in UGI during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $40,000. 82.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.