Ameriprise Financial Inc. Acquires 795,093 Shares of UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI)

Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in UGI Co. (NYSE:UGI) by 50.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,366,100 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 795,093 shares during the quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned approximately 1.10% of UGI worth $66,806,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new stake in UGI in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in UGI by 216.7% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 893 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 611 shares during the period. S.A. Mason LLC bought a new stake in shares of UGI in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. GeoWealth Management LLC bought a new stake in UGI in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in UGI during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. 82.34% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UGI Price Performance

Shares of UGI opened at $35.03 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $32.66 and a 200 day moving average of $30.03. UGI Co. has a twelve month low of $22.01 and a twelve month high of $35.41. 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 (NYSE:UGI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.21 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $2.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.26 billion. UGI had a net margin of 7.73% and a return on equity of 15.19%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.97 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that UGI Co. will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UGI Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.28%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. UGI’s dividend payout ratio is 59.06%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other UGI news, insider Michael Sharp purchased 4,806 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 purchase, the insider now directly owns 4,806 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $160,039.80. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.73% of the company’s stock.

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.