Cerity Partners LLC Takes Position in UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI)

Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 53,538 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,340,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of UGI. Citigroup Inc. increased its holdings in UGI by 33.0% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 203,313 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,087,000 after acquiring an additional 50,485 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in UGI by 47.7% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,503,214 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $62,630,000 after acquiring an additional 808,113 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in UGI by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,026,717 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,688,000 after acquiring an additional 35,562 shares during the last quarter. Foundry Partners LLC bought a new stake in UGI in the 3rd quarter valued at $9,600,000. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in UGI by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 469,701 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $11,752,000 after acquiring an additional 30,003 shares during the last quarter. 82.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

UGI Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE UGI opened at $29.15 on Wednesday. UGI Co. has a 1 year low of $21.51 and a 1 year high of $30.48. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $25.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $24.33. The company has a market cap of $6.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.51 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.60.

UGI Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. UGI’s payout ratio is currently 120.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on UGI shares. StockNews.com cut shares of UGI from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of UGI from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of UGI in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $28.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Mizuho raised shares of UGI from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $27.00 to $30.00 in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $28.33.

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.