IFP Advisors Inc Cuts Stock Position in UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI)

IFP Advisors Inc trimmed its position in shares of UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI) by 57.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,963 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,698 shares during the quarter. IFP Advisors Inc’s holdings in UGI were worth $55,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC boosted its stake in UGI by 42.0% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,418,865 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $235,660,000 after acquiring an additional 2,786,878 shares in the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of UGI by 2,050.9% during the fourth quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 2,375,752 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $67,067,000 after purchasing an additional 2,265,300 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of UGI by 33.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,762,970 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $127,246,000 after purchasing an additional 1,202,938 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of 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 worth $62,630,000 after purchasing an additional 808,113 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in UGI by 105.8% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,507,263 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $37,712,000 after buying an additional 774,770 shares during the last quarter. 82.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

UGI Stock Performance

Shares of UGI stock opened at $32.84 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The business has a fifty day moving average of $30.91 and a 200 day moving average of $27.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.21. UGI Co. has a 1 year low of $22.01 and a 1 year high of $34.49.

UGI (NYSE:UGI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.16. UGI had a return on equity of 15.19% and a net margin of 7.73%. As a group, research analysts expect that UGI Co. will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current year.

UGI Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.57%. UGI’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.06%.

Insider Activity at UGI

In related news, insider Michael Sharp acquired 4,806 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $33.30 per share, for a total transaction of $160,039.80. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 4,806 shares in the company, valued at approximately $160,039.80. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.73% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on UGI shares. Mizuho upgraded UGI from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $27.00 to $30.00 in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of UGI in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $28.00 price objective for the company.

UGI Profile

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.