Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) Shares Gap Down Following Weak Earnings

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULH) gapped down before the market opened on Friday following a dissappointing earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $42.95, but opened at $41.32. Universal Logistics shares last traded at $39.49, with a volume of 5,421 shares trading hands.

The transportation company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.93 by ($0.16). Universal Logistics had a net margin of 7.40% and a return on equity of 22.26%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.81 earnings per share.

Universal Logistics Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.105 per share. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.10%. Universal Logistics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Universal Logistics from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Universal Logistics by 126.3% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 17,854 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $770,000 after acquiring an additional 9,966 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its stake in Universal Logistics by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,537,859 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $109,407,000 after purchasing an additional 100,563 shares during the period. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Universal Logistics by 339.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 10,952 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $473,000 after purchasing an additional 8,461 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Universal Logistics by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 147,251 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $6,363,000 after buying an additional 911 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Universal Logistics by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 37,564 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,619,000 after buying an additional 643 shares during the period. 25.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Universal Logistics Stock Down 11.0 %

The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $45.94 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $44.32. The company has a market cap of $1.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.87 and a beta of 0.90.

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.