UGI (NYSE:UGI) Sets New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $30.60 and last traded at $30.60, with a volume of 1980 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $30.37.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on UGI from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of UGI from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of UGI in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $28.00 price target for the company. Finally, Mizuho upgraded 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 report on Friday, November 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $28.33.

UGI Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $6.57 billion, a PE ratio of 24.49 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $24.99 and its 200 day moving average is $24.27.

UGI Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. UGI’s dividend payout ratio is currently 120.97%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UGI

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UGI. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in UGI by 10.8% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 630,604 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $15,614,000 after buying an additional 61,265 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of UGI during the 3rd quarter worth $278,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of UGI by 88.2% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 21,876 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $547,000 after purchasing an additional 10,251 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in UGI by 33.8% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,762,970 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $127,246,000 after purchasing an additional 1,202,938 shares in the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp increased its position in UGI by 0.8% during the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 186,294 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,661,000 after buying an additional 1,387 shares during the last quarter. 82.34% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.