Merit Financial Group LLC Has $299,000 Stock Position in UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI)

Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI) by 18.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,055 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,435 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in UGI were worth $299,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in UGI by 216.7% in the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 893 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 611 shares during the last quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new position in UGI in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. GeoWealth Management LLC acquired a new position in UGI in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in UGI in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in UGI in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. 82.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on UGI shares. Wall Street Zen raised UGI from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Mizuho upped their target price on UGI from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th.

UGI Stock Performance

UGI opened at $36.05 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $7.73 billion, a PE ratio of 14.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.06. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $33.95 and a 200-day moving average of $31.84. UGI Co. has a 52-week low of $22.01 and a 52-week high of $36.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 1.00.

UGI (NYSE:UGI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $2.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.26 billion. UGI had a return on equity of 15.19% and a net margin of 7.73%. The firm’s revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.97 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that UGI Co. will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UGI Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.16%. UGI’s payout ratio is 61.73%.

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.