StockNews.com Upgrades Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) to “Buy”

Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday.

Separately, Stifel Nicolaus raised Universal Logistics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $35.00 to $36.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th.

Universal Logistics Price Performance

Shares of ULH traded up $0.14 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $34.08. 50,286 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 28,416. The company has a market cap of $895.62 million, a PE ratio of 9.63 and a beta of 1.07. Universal Logistics has a 52-week low of $20.85 and a 52-week high of $38.50. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $32.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $27.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.36.

Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The transportation company reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.71 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $390.92 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $377.30 million. Universal Logistics had a return on equity of 18.99% and a net margin of 5.59%. On average, equities analysts predict that Universal Logistics will post 3.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Logistics

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ULH. Point72 Middle East FZE acquired a new stake in Universal Logistics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. State of Wyoming grew its holdings in Universal Logistics by 23.8% in the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 2,063 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 396 shares during the period. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in Universal Logistics by 532.5% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,929 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 1,624 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its holdings in Universal Logistics by 82.5% in the second quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 2,709 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $78,000 after purchasing an additional 1,225 shares during the period. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Universal Logistics by 20.0% in the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 3,139 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $90,000 after purchasing an additional 523 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 24.65% of the company’s stock.

About Universal Logistics

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc provides transportation and logistics solutions in the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Colombia. The company offers truckload services, which include dry van, flatbed, heavy-haul, and refrigerated operations; domestic and international freight forwarding, and customs brokerage services.