Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) Shares Gap Down After Earnings Miss

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULH)’s share price gapped down prior to trading on Friday after the company announced weaker than expected quarterly earnings. The stock had previously closed at $42.95, but opened at $41.32. Universal Logistics shares last traded at $39.49, with a volume of 5,421 shares trading hands.

The transportation company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.93 by ($0.16). Universal Logistics had a return on equity of 22.26% and a net margin of 7.40%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.81 earnings per share.

Universal Logistics Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.105 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.22%. Universal Logistics’s payout ratio is presently 8.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Universal Logistics from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Universal Logistics by 126.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 17,854 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $770,000 after purchasing an additional 9,966 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its stake in Universal Logistics by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,537,859 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $109,407,000 after purchasing an additional 100,563 shares during the period. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in Universal Logistics by 339.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 10,952 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $473,000 after acquiring an additional 8,461 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Universal Logistics by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 147,251 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $6,363,000 after acquiring an additional 911 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Universal Logistics by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 37,564 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,619,000 after acquiring an additional 643 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 25.50% of the company’s stock.

Universal Logistics Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.36. The company has a market capitalization of $908.83 million, a P/E ratio of 6.93 and a beta of 0.90. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $45.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $44.31.

Universal Logistics Company Profile

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc provides transportation and logistics solutions in the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Colombia. The company offers truckload services, which include dry van, flatbed, heavy-haul, and refrigerated operations; domestic and international freight forwarding, and customs brokerage services.