Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.22 EPS

Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) released its earnings results on Friday. The transportation company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.09 by ($0.22), Zacks reports. The company had revenue of $367.58 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $372.30 million. Universal Logistics had a negative net margin of 3.64% and a positive return on equity of 4.13%.

Universal Logistics Price Performance

NASDAQ:ULH traded down $1.68 on Friday, reaching $22.40. 59,904 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 54,301. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $19.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $17.57. The firm has a market cap of $590.24 million, a PE ratio of -10.42 and a beta of 0.71. Universal Logistics has a 12 month low of $12.78 and a 12 month high of $30.76.

Universal Logistics Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.105 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 23rd. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. Universal Logistics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -19.53%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Logistics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Walleye Capital LLC bought a new stake in Universal Logistics during the fourth quarter valued at about $340,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Universal Logistics by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 200,020 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,039,000 after acquiring an additional 7,339 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in Universal Logistics by 5.3% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 136,107 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,190,000 after acquiring an additional 6,854 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Universal Logistics by 7.1% during the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 20,569 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $520,000 after acquiring an additional 1,361 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in Universal Logistics by 93.7% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 13,514 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $343,000 after acquiring an additional 6,538 shares during the period. 25.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Universal Logistics in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Universal Logistics from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Universal Logistics from $17.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Universal Logistics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Universal Logistics presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $20.00.

About Universal Logistics

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc is a diversified, asset-light third-party logistics provider offering transportation and supply chain solutions across North America and around the globe. Its service portfolio encompasses truckload, less-than-truckload, intermodal, and specialized freight services, supported by dedicated brokerage, warehousing, and distribution management capabilities.

Originally incorporated as Universal Truckload Services, Inc, the company has evolved beyond its core truckload heritage to a one-stop logistics platform.