Vestcor Inc Buys 2,493 Shares of UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI)

Vestcor Inc grew its stake in shares of UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI) by 16.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 17,221 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,493 shares during the period. Vestcor Inc’s holdings in UGI were worth $486,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of UGI. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in UGI by 9.0% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,471,142 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,808,000 after purchasing an additional 121,039 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its position in UGI by 7.5% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 104,291 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,609,000 after purchasing an additional 7,274 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in UGI by 3.4% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 137,597 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,443,000 after purchasing an additional 4,522 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in UGI by 37.8% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 40,281 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,008,000 after purchasing an additional 11,040 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in UGI by 105.8% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,507,263 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $37,712,000 after purchasing an additional 774,770 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.34% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of UGI in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $28.00 price target on the stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Michael Sharp bought 4,806 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $33.30 per share, with a total value of $160,039.80. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now owns 4,806 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $160,039.80. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.73% of the company’s stock.

UGI Trading Up 3.6 %

UGI stock opened at $33.14 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. UGI Co. has a twelve month low of $22.01 and a twelve month high of $34.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.17. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $31.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $27.72.

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

UGI Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.53%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. UGI’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.06%.

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.